Forbidden
by SuNsHiNe10
Summary: She shut herself away from the world because she was forbidden to feel, forbidden to laugh, forbidden to love. Until he changed all that......forever.
1. Smashing Discoveries

~*~ YAY! The beginning! Oooh, so much fun! Beast Boy/Raven fic!! Excited!!! Hehe, this is a milestone!! Ok, so for those of you who don't know, this is part 2 of a 3 part series. The first story is titled 'Hopelessly Devoted,' and while it is not necessary to read it to understand this fic, it would help, being that there are a few references to that story. Ok! So we pick up about a week after HD left off. Starfire and Robin couldn't be happier, and Cyborg's beginning to find a new person to mock.........heh heh. Enjoy!! ~*~  
  
It was a perfect summer's eve, the warm wind whistling faintly through the tall oak trees, the gentle waves crashing timidly along the receding shoreline, and the millions of sparklers hooting off rays of light in the sky, casting a long, eerie shadow of the Tower over the murky water. It was one of those nights where you wanted to stand outside forever to take it all in and thank God you were alive. That is what many people of the innocent city were doing, enjoying all life had to offer. The Titans, however, were locking indoors, doing no such thing. They were KILLING life by idly staring blankly at the television.  
  
Robin groaned and flipped mindlessly through the channels, one arm draped lazily over Starfire's slim shoulders. Her pretty red head lolled comfortably on his chest. "Man, why is nothing EVER on TV?!" he asked loudly, watching the pictures flash by rapidly on the screen. The boys shook their heads, not knowing the answer. Suddenly, as if by some act of God, something caught their eye, and they commanded Robin to change back to channel 138. He obeyed, and smiled when he noticed it was an episode of 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?' "I LOVE this show! It's hilarious!" Cyborg commented as he reclined into his seat. On the screen, 2 comedians, Ryan Stiles and Colin Mockerie, were performing a improve skit, obviously, it being the basis of the show. In this particular sketch, Ryan was pretending to be Batman, while Colin was acting as Robin. Colin seemed very upset about something, and when the laughter from the audience was quelled by their previous joke (the Titans did not know what it was, having just flipped it on) he spoke.  
  
"But Batman!" he whined, "I don't wanna dress up like Wonder Woman!"  
  
Starfire felt Robin tense beneath her, and glanced over at an intrigued Cyborg and Beast Boy before averting her gaze back to the screen.  
  
"Aw, c'mon Robin! It'll be fun! Just do it!" His fake mentor commanded, but the Canadian still looked very skeptical.  
  
"I just don't understand! Why do I have to dress up like a girl?!" Ryan suddenly looked very apprehensive.  
  
"Uh-well.......the thing is.........aw, c'mon Robin! I keep a little boy locked up in a cave! People are starting to talk!"  
  
At this, the room erupted with laughter, from the boys at least, and Starfire did her best to hide her giggles. Robin was NOT amused, and glared at the set in hopes of possibly being able to burn it down. When this task failed him, he muttered an obscenity under his breath and promptly switched to another network. "Gee, that was so clever. I've never heard that joke before. Ha ha ha." he uttered monotonously, and when the boys refused to let up their fits, Starfire sent them a look that would make Osama Bin Laden pee his pants, and they ceased, whimpering. The next show that caught their eye was an episode of 'Friends,' and Cyborg, being an avid fan of the series, ("So I like a girl-y sitcom! Big deal! So what if I like the jokes? So what if I think it's funny? So what if I anxiously await each upcoming episode to see the building relationship between Rachel and Joey?!........oops.") identified to the others that it was the episode where Monica confessed to Chandler that on the night she slept with him, she was originally looking for Joey. He did not seem pleased with this, and angrily stormed to the door, but the petite brunette stopped him. "It's not that big a deal!" she cried, stopping short in the kitchenette. Chandler, one hand perched on the doorknob, whirled on her, infuriated. "Of course it's a big deal! You came to hook up with Batman and instead you had to settle for Robin!" With that he exploded out of the room, leaving his friends looking distraught. Monica opened her mouth to speak and Robin moaned slightly, bracing himself for impact. "This is so wrong." Monica murmured, her face in her palms. The camera panned to Phoebe, who looked zoned out, as usual. "I know! Robin is SO gay!" she exclaimed all too happily.  
  
Robin growled as the boys erupted with screams and taunts at Lisa Kudrow's line. The leader's cheeks were a deep crimson, and the others could not tell whether it was due to his embarrassment or his anger.  
  
"What IS this?! Make fun of ME day?!" Robin shouted loudly, angrily channel surfing once again. Starfire snaked her arms around his waist in an attempt to soothe him, but when the next program appeared, he simmered down on his own. It was a football game, a harmless, innocent football game between the Tennessee Titans (how ironic) and the Chicago Bears. Robin sighed, relieved, and smiled, stroking Starfire's side. "FINALLY. Something that DOESN'T mock my pop culture status." he murmured, tossing the remote onto the adjacent coffee table. As the 2 commentators were cast into view, Cyborg was suddenly struck with a deliciously evil plan, and smirking deviously, snatched the remote and hit the 'mute' button. Instantly, all sound was gone. It was then he cupped his hands over his mouth and spoke in an elderly man's voice whenever the man on screen moved his lips. "Yes, Chuck, it seems the Titans are going to attempt a 45 foot field goal for the win today. Speaking of Titans, don't you think Robin is a little fruit? I mean, the spandex, the color scheme, the time, money, and patience spent on hair care, he's may as well be walking around in a rainbow flag! What do YOU think he and Batman were doing?" Beast Boy stifled a laugh as Starfire's eyes narrowed at the mechanical man, awaited Robin's explosion.  
  
Amazingly, Robin did nothing of the sort and his reaction was just the opposite. He removed his hold on Starfire and imitated Cyborg's movements, waiting for the other man to move his lips wordlessly, and spoke in a strong, bold voice. "Fruit? What are you TALKING about, Bill? The kid's got the ladies hanging all over him! Plus, did you notice he's the only male Titan to get a girlfriend, his amazing, incredible, perfect teammate, Starfire?" he smiled at her, and she grinned at the complement. "Unlike that ass, Cyborg. He couldn't get a date if he tied and gagged a girl and dragged her through the town. And he smells like motor oil, too. Yep, when he gets a girl, pigs will not only fly, they'll learn the human language, become immensely intelligent, and enslave the human race!" Robin grinned victoriously as Cyborg steamed from the ears with gritted teeth. "HEY! You'll pay for that!!" he shouted, and leapt out of his seat charging at the boy with every intention of turning him to lunch meat. Robin calmly turned to Starfire. "Star, defensive maneuver 20-4/Omega." he said simply, and when Cyborg was within an inch of the couple, Star had encased the 2 in a protective orb of green energy, which Cyborg ran head-long into. The electricity jolted him through his cybernetic parts, sending him flying backwards into the TV set. He composed himself and ran back over, shouting angrily at the 2 in objection. Robin stuck out his tongue at him and pulled Starfire into his awaiting lap, beaming and propping his chin on her delicate shoulder. "Have I told you lately that I love you?"  
  
Beast Boy laughed at Cyborg's overreaction, he could only imagine his image in the public eye had HE been Batman's sidekick. Robin took those blows gracefully, Cyborg would, well, most likely scream. And punch something. He always had to punch something. The green lad brought his hands down on the soft cushion on either sides of him and pushed himself up, strolling out of the room and into their kitchen. "I'm getting something to drink." he called over his shoulder, but the others didn't hear; Starfire was giggling to the point she could barely breathe and Robin was repeated everything Cyborg said, much like a 4 year old. The metal man was throwing a fit. Beast Boy shook his head and scoffed, an amused smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He reached up and opened the cabinet door, searching for a mug of some sort. He found a large glass in the very back, and grudgingly stood on his tip-toes ("Damn genetics......I HAD to be short....") to pull it out. He inspected it; there were fine remains of soap particles the washer seemed to miss. He chipped them away with his thumbnail, but grew bored with it quickly, and shrugged as he walked to the sink. Beast Boy reached to the faucet and turned the knob, holding the glass beneath the running water. Slowly, he watched the glass fill, and when it was nearly to the brim he flicked the knob off and turned, his back to the insanity, to grab a snack to accompany it.  
  
All of a sudden, Beast Boy's keen, animal-like ears picked up something out of range for anyone else. It was the faint pattering of 2 heel-clad feet walking anxiously down the hall towards the main room, a billowing cape fluttering behind them. He knew instantly who it was. Raven entered the main room with her hood down, her lilac hair tousled ever so slightly. She made her way towards the door, but stopped for a moment to stare at the fight in the living room. She shook her head. "Cyborg, we've been through this. You call him gay, he calls you pathetic. Give it up already." she said in her dark tone. Cyborg turned only his head to face her, his mouth hung open, the words he was about to say hung in space. He crossed his arms and 'Hmmph!'-ed annoyed, slumping defeated back into his seat. Starfire let down her wall and sprawled out on the couch, resting her head in Robin's lap, and cooed happily when he ran his fingers through her long, silky garnet locks.  
  
Beast Boy shrugged it off, just another night at the tower, right? With his back to his friends, he could not see what was going on, but was, of course, able to hear the conversation. He took small, hasty steps in the direction of the fridge, where he secretly hid his last tofu dog in the vegetable bin so no one would steal it. Though, granted, no one really WANTED it anyway. He heard Raven slowly walk to the door. "I'm going out. Don't wait up." she said tonelessly, her fingers lingering on her cape hem. "And just where are you going to, little lady?" Cyborg asked playfully from his position on the couch. Raven turned back, an emotionless expression carved into her pretty features, but there was something different. About her eyes, was there a glint of excitement in those round, amethyst jewels? "If you must know, I'm going to a poetry reading of classic Emily Dickenson at a remote café downtown-" She hesitated a minute or so, before adding the next word. "-with Carden."  
  
Beast Boy froze, his right foot suspended from the floor in mid-step. CARDEN? Scary, dark, 'Life is pointless' goth-kid Carden? What was she doing with HIM?! "Again?" Robin asked curiously, trying his hands at a braid. "That's, like, the 3rd time this week." Beast Boy's formerly loose hold on the glass reflexively tightened. Raven placed a hand at her hip and nodded. Cyborg, interested, leaned over, his forearms resting on his thighs, holding him up. "So, are you 2.......ya know? An 'item?'" he said slyly, completing his last word with air quotes. Beast Boy's hand took a life of its own and constricted on the cup like a snake on its prey. It was the only part of his body that was mobile, the rest was completely paralyzed. Raven shook her head. "No. We're not going out." He inwardly cheered. "But.......I really enjoy his company." she said this like she sounded almost HAPPY. Raven + happy = WHA?!?!? Beast Boy's hand was trembling, the glass vibrating with it in his strong grasp. Starfire sat up, and Robin's failed attempt at a braid immediately fell apart. "I think that it is nice for you to find someone like yourself. Perhaps by opening to him, you will be able to open more to us!" she said cheerily, smiling at the dark girl. Raven shrugged, offering no real answer. "It's possible. Carden's...........good to be around. He knows me."  
  
Beast Boy could feel a tightness building in his throat. His knuckles, despite his green skin, were perfectly white, yet he still clutched the glass like he was strangling Carden himself. The cool water shook violently in the cup, spilling out all over the kitchen floor. Raven was closing in on the door, when Cyborg called something to her. "Hey, who knows, Rae? Maybe you won't be the ONLY girl with a boyfriend!" Raven stopped, smirked slightly out of the corner of her mouth. "Maybe." she muttered softly, hopefully even. A loud shatter broke the momentary silence in the hall, and all heads whipped around to the source. The kitchen floor was totally drenched, and hundreds of shards of glass hit the floor, accompanied by a splash of water that drenched the kitchen tiles. After the smash settled, a barely audible dripping was heard, a trickle of crimson droplets were landing in the mess, and Beast Boy stared in shock at his bleeding, mangled hand.  
  
"Beast Boy?" Starfire inquired, concerned, and hopped off the couch to see her friend's disposition. Upon arrival, she gasped at the sight and cringed at the smears of watery blood on the once immaculate kitchen floor. The others rushed over to join them, all reacting to the scene negatively. "Dude, you ok?" Cyborg asked, eyeing the muddle of glass. Something jerked the shape shifter out of his trance and he returned to the real world, finally acknowledging the presence of his 4 friends. He also realized the searing, unbearable pain in his right hand, and he groaned at the throbbing, feeling the pulsating presence of every piece lodged into his skin. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." he said finally, holding his wrist tenderly. "What happened?" Robin asked, retrieving a dish towel to wipe away the spills. Beast Boy shook his head, not daring to reveal the true answer, for even he was not entirely sure. "I-I don't really know. I mean, one minute I'm getting a snack, and the next I can't feel my hand! The glass just......blew up!" he lied convincingly. Cyborg's eyes drooped slightly. "Oh, but how? I do not understand. We bought these glasses at Wal-Mart, they were supposed to be top of the line." he muttered sarcastically, in a tone much like Raven's.  
  
Raven had been watching the green boy's hand the entire time, plotting how such an event was even conceivable. She raised an eyebrow skeptically at his tale and took a step towards him, her hand reached out for his. "Let me see it." she commanded, but he quickly pulled away. "No! It hurts!" he whined, holding the back of his hand like an infant. Her hand hung in space, awaiting his, and her patience was running thin. "Beast Boy, I have no time for this, give it to me." she instructed, this time more forcefully. Beast Boy whimpered and shook his head, Raven groaned, annoyed, and with one swift motion snatched his wrist and held it up for her to view. A faint shade of pink was painted against his green skin. Raven observed the wounds for a moment or 2, then held her available grey palm over it. Beast Boy yelped in surprise as his hand blackened and outlined in white, and watched her in awe as gently, she lifted the remains of the glass from his palm, now stained with a dark scarlet, and cast them aside into the trash can. The glowing did not cease, and he gasped as the slashes in his palms miraculously sealed, leaving no remains of their presence whatsoever. Raven dropped her hand to her side and released Beast Boy, the glow dying down.  
  
He watched as his hand returned to its normal green tone, and examined it scrupulously. It felt fine, better than before, even. He clenched a fist tightly and opened it again, feeling no pain whatsoever. He shifted his gaze from his healed hand to the sorceress before him, and offered her a tiny, thankful grin. "Thanks." he breathed, feeling the smile spread. The girl nodded, and unknown force tugging at the corner of her lips. "Don't mention it." she replied, and for a split second, Beast Boy could have sworn her bright eyes danced, shimmering slightly in the faint light. She cleared her throat and glanced up at the clock, and any gleam that her eyes possessed a moment before had completely vanished. "I'd better go, Carden's waiting." she muttered, and floated over to the exit with a wave. Beast Boy's face sunk; he had forgotten that little detail, and any feelings he was receiving from her a moment ago seemed to explode in his face. The other Titans waved her off as she left, and began a light conversation. Beast Boy didn't listen, their words were like a drone of bees circling his head. There was a hole forming in the pit of his stomach, growing larger by the second. Darkness enveloped him like a blanket, gripping him tighter and tight around the throat, until the scarce breaths he was able to inhale were short and unfulfilling.  
  
Cyborg waved a hand in front of the joker's dark, dazed eyes. "Dude? Anyone in there?" he asked, and with that he snapped back to reality, the sheen returning to his olive eyes. "Huh? Oh, sorry. I was just.......thinking about something." Cyborg gave him a look while Robin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Beast Boy did not feel like fielding the impending questions, the gaping void in him was far too wide to do much else at the moment. "I think I'm gonna hit the hay." he muttered and dragged his feet back to him room. The others exchanged glances, the disposition of their comedian friend was very out of whack, and they walked after him. "Aw, c'mon BB! 'Freddy vs. Jason' is on at 9! We were gonna throw stuff!" Cyborg persuaded, but the shape shifter continued drudging out the door.  
  
"Nah, that's ok. I'll catch at later. See ya in the morning." he mumbled, and disappeared down the hall. The mechanical man looked over skeptically at his comrades and dropped his left shoulder. "Something is not right......." Starfire murmured, placing a pondering finger to her chin. Robin shook his head while Cyborg shrugged. "Hell if I know what it is." he muttered, and lifted his 2 enormous arms and flexed, examining the bulging muscles he produced. "Hmm, I could use a little pump-up. I'll be in the weight room if you need me......call me before the movie comes on!" And with that he vanished to train, leaving Robin and Starfire all alone in the room. Starfire turned to her boyfriend with a coy smile. "So, Robin, what do you wish to do?" she asked, grinning. Robin chuckled and placed his hand at her 2 curved hips. "Well, let's see, we're alone, together, by ourselves, with no one else around........what do YOU want to do?" he asked with a crafty smirk. Starfire laughed and pressed her forehead to his, whispering directly into his ear. "Well, I am not entirely certain how to perform the Earth task of 'making-out' yet........perhaps I need more practice." She smiled with her bright eyes half-closed sexily, and Robin grinned from ear-to-ear. "You read my mind." he replied, and her lips smoothly met his as she gently pulled him on top of her body on the couch.  
  
Beast Boy entered his room and closed the door with a 'SLAM!' He slumped against his door and felt his knees buckle beneath him, slowly sliding to the floor. He pulled up his knees and buried his face in them, moaning slightly. He glanced up at the huge game station beckoning him from across the room, but he turned away, for nothing could offer him compensation at this moment. He reluctantly rose and crossed to his bed, climbing the ladder to reach his top bunk, where he thrust himself into his soft, fluffy pillow. "Why is this bothering me so much? Raven meets up with one guy and I act like she beat me with a stick. I should be happy she's happy, right? I mean, no one loves Raven more than me, and she deserves what's best." he seemed satisfied with the thought, but pressed the pillow closer into his face.  
  
*Do you have any idea what you just said?*  
  
Beast Boy yelped and leapt up in shock, searching for the owner of the known voice. It sounded vaguely familiar, but he couldn't pin point who it was. His dark eyes scanned the room, and when they found no one a chill ran up his spine. Suddenly he was struck with something. "Wait, how did they hear me? I said that in my head!" he said aloud.  
  
*I'm IN your head, idiot.*  
  
Beast Boy screamed and jumped up, hitting his head hard on the ceiling. He tumbled down to the ground, hitting it with a thud, put despite his pain he jerked up, glaring at no one inparticular, and pointed an accusing finger. "Who are you and what do you want with my BRAIN?!" he shouted at the apparition.  
  
*I'm not here to take your brain, you doofus. Why would I even WANT it?*  
  
Beast Boy growled at the insult. "Then if you're not a brain-sucking alien from the planet Zorflax, who ARE you?" The voice sighed.  
  
*I'm your conscience. You know, that little voice that tells you what's right and wrong?*  
  
Beast Boy nodded in understanding, but suddenly his eyebrow's furrowed. "Wait, if you're my conscience, shouldn't you be a little cricket dancing around and stuff?"  
  
*No, that is a cruel and overused cliché among clichés.*  
  
"Oh." Beast Boy replied, but he cocked his head as he thought of another question. "Wait, isn't talking to yourself the first sign of insanity?" he asked, frightened.  
  
*Probably, but I wouldn't worry about it. Lord knows you've been off your rocker since day 1.*  
  
"Did you come here for a REASON, or do you just plan to mock my intelligence?" he irately questioned.  
  
*Right, right. Before this pointless argument, do you know what you said?*  
  
Beast Boy pondered for a moment. "Nothing worth going insane over........"  
  
*About Raven, maybe?*  
  
"Nope, not a thing."  
  
*You SAID you LOVED her.*  
  
"I said WHAT?!?!?!?!?" Beast Boy's eyes widened and his jaw dropped to the floor in shock. He quickly tried to defend himself. "I-I didn't say THAT. Well, maybe I did, but not in that sense! Raven's like my sister.......my tall, shapely sister.........who I've fantasized about.........about a million times." He realized quickly this wasn't helping his argument and tensed up. "NO! I didn't mean LOVE, like Robin and Starfire, I meant LOVE like 'Oh my god! I love you!'" He giggled nervously.  
  
*Admit it. You love her like a fat kid loves cake.*  
  
"NOW YOUR SUDDENLY 50 CENT?! YOU CAN'T JUST CHANGE RACES!!!!"  
  
*Stop stalling.*  
  
"You couldn't be any more wrong. I do not, repeat, do NOT love Raven! She's my friend!"  
  
*Why do you think you feel so bad that she's out having fun with what's-his- face and not you?*  
  
He didn't respond.  
  
*I'll tell you why. Jealousy. You're jealous of him.*  
  
He jumped. "I am NOT jealous because I DON'T love her! Geez!!"  
  
The voice was silent for a second, but spoke again in its angelic tone. *Can you do it?*  
  
Beast Boy looked up quizzically. "Can I do what?"  
  
*Lie to yourself.*  
  
Silence.  
  
*I didn't think so. You can perform this masquerade all you want, but the truth WILL come out sooner or later. And that truth is you LOVE her, and you always will.*  
  
Beast Boy was stunned at his thoughts. He said nothing, his mouth hung agape, and he blinked continuously. He felt the voice fade away into oblivion, he had won. Beast Boy's knees could no longer support his weight and crumbled, leaving him to fall helplessly to the floor. His palms lay face-down on the carpet as he stared at them in pure shock. "It's true." he finally murmured. "It's true.........I-I love her........" He paused as he looked upward. "I love Raven. Oh shit."  
  
~*~ YAY! First chapter done!! Hope you like it ^_______________^ Please R/R!!! It would make my day!!! Well, cya later!!! Bye!!! ~*~ 


	2. The Ol' Razzle Dazzle

~*~ YAY! Thanks for the reviews, guys!! You rock!!! Few notes-  
  
Dragonblood: Yep, got it partially from the ATBG movie, what can I say? It was cute and funny and I thought it fit perfectly, ok, so I'm a dork :P  
  
Momentum: SAME HERE!!! I want to scream every time a new one pops up!!!  
  
Mr. Anonymous: Good to hear from you again! It's always a pleasure to have your support! Perhaps one day your true identity will be revealed........  
  
Ha: Yes, I heard the dialogue from actual episodes. I was watching it and I was like "Hmm, wouldn't it be funny if Robin saw this......HEY!" Hehe, the WLIIA was a little ad-libbed by me, I couldn't remember the exact words, but the Friend's stuff is totally accurate! :)  
  
Weirdo Coffee High Girl: Thank you! Actually, Raven's powers were be played up later in the story as we go on.......I won't give anything away, though :)  
  
RuKa AnD InFiNiTy: I WAS ACTUALLY REVIWED BY THE COMICAL GENIUS OF RUKA AND INFINITY??!?! I AM NOT WORTHY!!!!!!  
  
To everyone else, I'd love to thank you all personally, without you guys there would BE no fic. Everybody rocks!!! YAY ROCKS!!! Hehe, ok, so you wanted more, and you got it! I'm actually supposed to be writing my history paper now......*eyes nervously shift back and forth*.....shhhh........ Here we go!!! ~*~  
  
Beast Boy was awake. His conscience's words had torn through him like a knife through paper, and he tossed and turned furiously trying to quell it. It was no use, and instead he wandered about his room awaiting the impending break of day. It never seemed to come, the fates were torturing him and loving it. At one point in the night, Beast Boy had ambled to the one thing that ever seemed to bring him comfort in a time of despair. His drums. He was so gifted, skillfully beating the musical barrels with such perfect rhythm and unmatched talent that no man could compete with. He was a musical genius, and, in typical Beast Boy manner, used every opportunity to flaunt it. ("Beast Boy!! You spent 700 dollars on a SANDWICH?!?!?!?!" "So what if I did? I can play the drums!") He picked up his sticks and lifted them high over his head; surely by beating the instrument with as much force possible he would both release his aggression and tire him out and finally allow him to sleep. He closed his eyes and waited for the warm, pulsating bliss that overtook his body and flowed from his hands like magic. He waited for a minute......and felt nothing. Beast Boy sighed and dropped the sticks on either sides of his stool, banging his head into on of his cymbals. "Raven.........." he murmured subconsciously, his eyelids growing heavier with each passing second, and he curled up in a ball and let the darkness consume him, his last image before slumber of her walking out the door.  
  
The sun glinted warily into his room the next day, catching the attention of the television. The screen received the light and glared off towards the sleeping boy's direction. Feeling the warmth, he stirred, and reluctantly opened his eyes. His seat had toppled over hours ago, but, being a very sound sleeper, he hadn't even noticed. His head rested against his cymbal stand, and he realized that a metal bar on it was jabbing him in the back of the neck. He groaned and rose, unwillingly accepting the day he was presented with, and drudged out of room with hooded olive eyes. Entering the lounge, he rubbed them and scratched himself behind the ear, which for some odd reason always managed to perk him up. He shook off any previous drowsiness and looked about the room. Cyborg was moving to and fro in the kitchen, preparing what Beast Boy guessed was breakfast, but, never being the greatest chef, created a small sandwich. Beast Boy half expected it to burst into flames.  
  
Starfire and Robin were on the couch, laughing about something. Starfire was backed into the rounded corner, her legs were slung across Robin's lap, and his hand rested comfortably on her thigh. Beast Boy sleepily rubbed his eye with his fist; his previous drowsiness caught up with him and he was tired once again. "Mornin'." he muttered groggily as he passed the couple. Starfire broke her gaze with Robin to glance over at the boy with concern. "Beast Boy? Are you unwell?" she asked, floating up and following him into the kitchen. Robin trailed after her. "Yeah, dude, it's not morning." he said, leaning over the countertop upon entering the kitchen. Beast Boy looked at him wildly in shock. "It's NOT?!" he asked, genuinely confused. Cyborg sat at the table, his mouth filled with Beast Boy could now identify as turkey and tomato on rye, and raised an eyebrow from behind his immense snack. "Yeah, it's 2:30." his muffled voice said, particles spewing out every which way.  
  
Beast Boy's jaw dropped in bewilderment. "2:30?!?!?!" he cried, and toppled over backwards. Starfire raised a short, orange eyebrow. "Did you receive any sleep last night, Beast Boy? I had awoken for a glass of milk at about 1 AM and I could hear you stirring." she said, looking at him with slightly suspicious emerald eyes. Robin nodded his head. "Yeah, and around 2:45 I woke up to go to the little hero's room and I could hear you moving around. Did you sleep at ALL last night?" Beast Boy rubbed the reddening spot on the back of his neck, he could still feel the poking bar from his stand. "Not........really......." he confessed softly, and crossed with downcast eyes to the table, where he opposite of Cyborg. The robot kicked him lightly in the shins as he took the final bite into his meal. He gulped the food loudly and sighed in pleasure, licking his fingers for any remains of the treat. "So, what happened, man? First you go all hay-wire and go kung- fu on that cup, then you pass up the opportunity to throw stuff at possibly the greatest 'This-is-so-bad-it's-actually-funny' movie of all time, and now you're awake all night! It isn't like you, dawg." (A/N: hehe, I love it when he says that, he said it in 'Masks' and I started crying in laughter.)  
  
Beast Boy just shook his head and dropped his chin into his open palm. "I know......it's really weird.....I've just been thinking about......stuff......" he mumbled, and propped his elbow on the hard surface. The three exchanged interested glances, and the boys smirked at each other. "What kinda 'stuff?'" Robin asked coyly as he strolled toward the drowsy boy. Starfire hovered behind him, peeking out from behind his back. Beast Boy merely shook his head. "Nothing important." he replied, and folded his arms into a neat pillow where he rested his head. "It certainly must be of importance, Beast Boy. If it was not, it would upset you this much." Starfire inquired, and Cyborg chuckled and hooked a thumb in her direction. "Girl's gotta point. If it was nothing it wouldn't bug you." Beast Boy moaned in response, not offering a valid answer, and turned away from his friends. Unbeknownst to him, Robin tapped a lone finger on his jaw. "Hmm.....this sounds vaguely familiar. Denial.......the first stage........" Beast Boy half turned back towards their direction and scoffed. "First stage of what?" he muttered. Robin grinned. "Falling in love." Beast Boy's head shot off the table at the speed of light and he tumbled with a yelp out of his chair. He immediately leapt up and pointed at the Boy Wonder accusingly.  
  
"That's NOT it!! I'm not in love with anyone!!!" he cried, and firmly crossed his arms. "How else do you explain all the stuff that's been with you lately?" Cyborg asked and he snickered, rising from the table to corner the minute boy. The green lad seemed to shrink down under the taunting glances of his teammates. It took him a while to answer. "Teenage hormones?" he replied weakly. Robin threw his head back and laughed while Cyborg slapped him on the back. "Please do not think I am prying, but love is the strongest emotion one could feel in their teenage years, or any other years for that matter, correct?" Starfire asked and she turned to the boys. Cyborg chuckled and patted the shape shifter on the shoulder. "Girl's on FIRE. So, BB, care to back THAT up?" he questioned, leaning in closer. Beast Boy was terrified, he was never one who had been particularly good under peer pressure, but broke away from the 3 and stormed from the room. "Guys!! STOP!! I am NOT, I repeat, am NOT in love with RAVEN!!!!! GEEZ!!" There was a deathly silence, and Beast Boy inwardly smirked at his possible victory with his back to his friends. He closed his eyes and absorbed the win, until Robin finally cleared his throat.  
  
"Who said anything about Raven?"  
  
Beast Boy froze. Was he really THAT stupid?! Did he just give away the one thing he had to guard with his life?! He slowly gyrated back to the snickering crew, jaw hung open and eyes wide. For a moment he said nothing. "Uh...........no?" Cyborg dropped to the floor and rolled in laughter, Robin bit his lower lip and Starfire squealed in delight, clapping her hands as she bounced on her heals. She zipped over to him and snatched his wrist, whipping him next to her on the couch and eagerly holding his hand. "Oh, Beast Boy! This is certainly most wonderful news! Tell us, for how long have you been love with Raven?" she happily questioned, cutting off the circulation in his hand. Beast Boy winced slightly at the pain and shrugged. He needed an excuse, something to back him up, to hide him. After tirelessly racking his brain for a solution, he sighed, defeated, and bore all to his awaiting friends. "I'm.......not entirely sure. I mean, I've always had a thing for her, but it wasn't LOVE. I've just always 'got her' ya know? It was more like a..... like a......."  
  
"A deep, unbridled admiration and understanding." Robin and Starfire spoke at the same time. They glanced at each other, and he grinned out of the side of his mouth in her direction as she smiled and shyly gazed at the floor. Cyborg jut out his lower lip, pouting slightly. "Aw, isn't that cute? They're speaking in unison!" he exclaimed in a babyish tone. Robin threw his head back and let out a throaty laugh. "How long do we have till it gets annoying?" he asked his cybernetic friend. "2 weeks, tops. Anymore than that and I kill you." The couple laughed together, and were soon joined by the clamors of their robot comrade. Beast Boy saw his window of opportunity and quietly tried to slip out of the room. If he could get out, maybe he could move to Peru and become a Taebo teacher to underprivileged orphaned monkey children.......he paused momentarily, slightly confused. He made NO sense when he panicked. Nevertheless, he tip-toed unknown to the door, a few seconds more and he'd be free, away from the jeers and taunts and inquiries of his oh-too-curious teammates. Just one.....more......step......and.....  
  
BOP! He hit something with unexpected force and grunted in pain as he staggered back, loosing his footing and stumbling to the ground. He shook his head and moaned, waving away the pain the crash had caused him, and his eyes bolted open so he would be able to see the thing he was about to yell at, animate or not. When his vision was no longer blurred, he froze. He'd been expecting a wall, in which case he wouldn't have to worry about it yelling back. Raven rubbed her forehead and glanced over at him, gritting her teeth. Beast Boy's mouth was agape ever-so slightly and he felt himself stop breathing, if only for a moment. Raven exhaled and pulled her lavender hair back behind her ear, looking slightly perturbed. "You should watch where you're going." she muttered, but when she didn't receive a smart remark, she sighed and extended her hand. "Here." she offered, and after a moment of confusion Beast Boy accepted it and let her pull him to his feet. Beast Boy's dark eyes refused to meet hers, and his clover cheeks flushed with a deep heat as he glanced down at the pale hand laced with his.  
  
Raven retracted quickly, dismissing the event as nothing, and continued onto the others. Beast Boy remained rooted to the spot, shoulders slightly pulled up in defense. Starfire's eyes darted between the 2, and then traveled to the remaining boys in the room. She beamed cheerily. "Would you care to accompany me to the supermarket, Raven? It appears we are out of your favored tea and I am in need of refreshment which only a-what is it called?- 'slur-pee' can provide." Her grin widened, and Robin looked down with a smile, shaking his head as he realized her plan. Raven's brow knitted it suspicion. "I'm out of tea? But I just bought a box last week." She eyed her teammates, knowing they were hiding something from her. Cyborg, catching on as well, slipped into the kitchen and pulled the small, cardboard box from its spot in the corner of the cabinet. He opened it and bit his lip anxiously; the box was only missing a few bags. His gaze shifted back and forth as he carelessly tossed the contents over his shoulder, whistling innocently. "Nope. All gone. See?" He held up the box for her to view. Because the bags were hidden by Cyborg's immense foot, Raven could not see them and shrugged.  
  
"Hmm. Odd. Well, I suppose I had better buy some more. Let's go, Starfire." Raven pulled up her hood and wafted out the door, brushing the tiniest bit against Beast Boy's shoulder. He shuddered visibly, so much that even the dark girl could feel the chill he sent. She slowly turned to face him. "Beast Boy, are you alright?" She asked, not allowing even the faintest hint of emotion in her voice. Beast Boy whimpered, opening his mouth to speak, but when the words hung from the tips of his tongue all he could command his body to do was nod. Raven's eyes clouded slightly, but she shook her head and waved farewell to the others, exiting the room. Starfire leaned over and planted a soft kiss on Robin's lips, which they did every time one of them left/came back/breathed and gently floated after her friend. Beast Boy slapped his forehead and sank to the ground. Robin recollected from the tender touch of his significant other and smirked, cornering Beast Boy.  
  
"You certainly have a way with words." he taunted, laughing as the green boy glared and rose in objection. "Quiet, you!" was all he said before storming back to the couch and melting into it. "I thought you'd be a LITTLE more mature." he mumbled. Robin shrugged. "Think again. BEAST BOY AND RAVEN SITTING IN A TREE!! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!!!" he mocked in a childish voice, shouting the chant merrily. Cyborg bounced into the room and joined. "FIRST COMES LOVE!! THEN COMES.......uh......wait......I know this one......"Cyborg scratched his head quizzically, trying to remember the old phrase. Beast Boy pulled a pillow over his face, muffling his high pitched scream beneath it. After a full-blown minute, he let it drop to his side, and looked up at his friends beseechingly. "Guys, look, you know about it, y'think you can help me and for once act your AGE?!" he flailed his arms out in anger. Robin raised an eyebrow. "Look whose talking." he muttered. Beast Boy sighed. "Guys, seriously. Raven's a tough cookie to crumble. I honestly have no idea what to do around her. And it makes it increasingly difficult since I can't seem to TALK anymore!! Curse you, tongue of mine!!"  
  
Robin sat next to him, and shortly after Cyborg joined him on the other side. "So, what do you like about her?" the Boy Wonder asked. Beast Boy pondered for a moment, contemplating his response. "She's just so.....put together. She knows exactly where she is in life and she's not willing to sacrifice her beliefs for anyone. It's so incredible........she's amazing, she's strong and brave and just.........wonderful." he concluded breathlessly, cooing slightly as he remembered her sweet face. Cyborg twisted his mouth in thought. "Ok, so it's evident what you've gotta do." he said finally. Beast Boy turned to him, excited. "It is?! What?!" he asked eagerly, and the robot grinned. "Impress her. Sweep her off her feet. Blow her away. Show her you're not just a brainless doofus with a head full of cheat-codes." he chuckled slightly, but the morpher was still confused. "How do I do that?" he questioned, whipping his head back and forth between the 2. "Find out what she likes and become adapted with them. Show her you're deeper then you let off. Just give her the ol' razzle dazzle and she'll love ya for life." Beast Boy absorbed the words for a minute or so, before beaming, and leaping to his feet. "Well," he said, "looks like I've got some investigating to do." And with that he shot off down the corridor with the biggest smile he could possess.  
  
~*~ FINALLY UPDATED!!! YAY!!!! I'm sorry, I know that chapter was bad, ick, stupid writers block. I apologize for the long wait, I've been so busy lately........sophomore year is what kills ya, indeed. Hehe, please R/R!!! I know this chapter sucked, but it will get better! I just couldn't think of much for the chapter but I have everything else for the story all planned out!!! Ok!!! Bye!! ~*~ 


	3. Of Black Eyeliner and Intriguing Convers...

~*~ I'm back! Hi!!! *waves furiously* Ok! So, I'm hyper and in the *@ZONE@* (hehe) for writing, and now I must go go go!!!! Whoooooo!!!!! Wow, I should NEVER have sugar........ok!!! Chapter 3 time!!!! I'm sooooo sorry this took so ling, my life has been so hectic lately, I couldn't even go to bed for 2 days straight cuz I was doing WORK!!! AHH!!! Ok, so I FINALLY got out this chapter!!!! Yeah!! Ok, so here it is!! Yay!!! ~*~  
  
+*+ On my life I try today, There's so much I felt I should say but, Even if your heart would listen, I doubt I could explain.+*+  
  
- - -Jimmy Eat World - - -  
  
Robin bobbed his head back and forth rhythmically as the music deluged into his ears. 2 headphones were fit snugly over his ears as the serenade of Good Charlotte rang out with power chords and impacting lyrics. Robin enjoyed listening to the punk band, and had a tiny spring in his step as he walked back to his room. Currently, he was humming along to track number 6, 'Girls and Boys' as he made his way back to his room, not paying much attention to his surroundings. That was, until he accidentally bumped into someone else. Robin opened his eyes to apologize, only to have them widen greatly. "YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" he screamed, and leapt backwards about 20 feet before drawing his bo staff and holding it outward to protect himself. The frightening figure raised a bushy eyebrow. "Dude, what's with you?" it asked. Robin stared at it quizzically, and his gaze began to shift rapidly back and forth between the back of his cd and the.......thing. "BEAST Boy?!" he asked finally, retracting his weapon and taking a step forward. The boy nodded, confused. "What's wrong, dude?" he questioned, taking a step in, but Robin reflexively took a step back. "Have you SEEN yourself lately?" Robin asked curtly.  
  
Beast Boy's naturally green face was perfectly white; it had been covered with some type of foundation which gave him the appearance of being very pale. His dark eyes were encased in heavy layers of black eyeliner, and small streams of the stuff glided down his cheeks, stopping short around his upper lip and giving him the appearance that he had been crying. His lime, messy hair had been pulled away from his face in what seemed like dozens of hard gelled spikes defying the laws of gravity and standing straight up in every which way. Several silver piercings had cut through his pointy elfish ears as had one through his lower lip, and his fingers were embedded with oddly designed silver rings. He wore a simple NOFX t- shirt beneath an unzipped MADE sweatshirt. A pair of large, black cargo pants with an infinite number of pockets concealed his legs and even his feet. Robin could have sworn he bore a striking resemblance to a certain member of the band blasting in his ears. He slowly removed the headphones and stepped in, warily eyeing the shape shifter up and down.  
  
When Beast Boy did not respond, Robin angrily held up his cd, exposing the picture of the members, including Beast Boy's look-alike, Benji Madden. Beast Boy snatched the case out of his hand and surveyed it, smiling. "What? I thought I did a pretty good job! I look just like Benji!" He gloated, beaming. Robin had regained his stature and sighed, stealing his music back. "But WHY are you dressed like him? You barely even LIKE Good Charlotte!" he cried, flailing his arms in the air. Beast Boy looked offended, but suddenly confident. "I took your advice." he said with a grin. "What advice was THAT?! When did I tell you to become a crazed punk- ass..............PUNK!!!!" he screamed louder then he had before, shaking the walls a bit with his voice. Beast Boy glared at him and drummed his heavily ringed fingers together, creating a faint clanging sound. "You said to impress Raven. Well, I did a little snooping, and my suspicions have confirmed that our little Princess of Darkness has a celebrity crush on Mr. Madden himself! So, I thought if I dressed like him, she'll like ME!" He beamed, and Robin face faulted as he delivered a hard slap to his own forehead.  
  
"Beast Boy, you have to be SUBTLE!!!! SUB-TLE!!! As in slightly change, not a complete 180!!!" Beast Boy scratched the scalp between the elaborate spikes, and by this action Robin knew he had no idea what he was doing. He sighed lightly and shook his head. "Look, I'll make you a deal. You get that stuff off you, and I'LL help you find out what Raven wants." he offered, cringing again slightly at the appearance of his normally green friend. Beast Boy scoffed. "And what makes you so sure this isn't the greatest plan ever?" he skeptically questioned. Robin sighed, whirled Beast Boy around, and shoved him in the direction of the ambling Cyborg. "Yo, what up BB-EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! WAHHHHH HAAA HAA HAA HAAAA HAAAA!!!!" with that last cry the robot fled the scene screaming with his arms flapping wildly behind him. Beast Boy blinked and turned back to his leader.  
  
"You illustrate your point quite vividly. Benji Madden=cool, me dressed like him=scary beyond all reason." he said, gingerly wiping the black lines off his cheek with his palm. Robin nodded and gave him a good hearted push towards his room. "Meet me at Raven's room in 20 minutes." he said, casually pulling his headphones back over. Beast Boy froze, his teeth clenched in apprehensiveness. Slowly he gyrated back to Robin. "Her ROOM?! You mean, we go INSIDE?! Uh-uh, no way, not a chance Robin!" But Robin had strolled off in the opposite direction, happily humming along to his cd, and when he disappeared down the hall Beast Boy had no choice but to comply with his command.  
  
Beast Boy, all make-up removed and dressed in his normal attire, nervously paced back and forth chewing on his thumbnail in fright. He had been waiting a full 6 seconds, which he thought seemed long enough, and inconspicuously tried to sneak away to his own quarters. The keyword, boys and girls, being TRIED, because the second his foot took one step away from the premises a green gloved hand snatched his shoulder and held him back. Beast Boy shuddered visibly and glanced over at the door. "Rob, do we REALLY have to do this? I mean, the last time I went snooping around Rae's room I ended up getting sucked into some alternate reality with WAY too much perky-ness and scary little birds. NOT cool!" he chided softly. Robin rolled his eyes and continued for the door. "Look, you wanna impress her or not? If yes, then you've gotta get down and dirty, find the hard stuff, get the skivvy our Little Miss Darkness." he said, reaching for the knob, but the shape shifter's arm lashed out and restrained him. "You sure you know what you're doing?" he questioned, anxiousness etched in his voice. Robin offered him a warm yet cocky smile. "Beast Boy, your talking with the former sidekick of the greatest detective this side of Gothem. I THINK I have a general idea."  
  
With that, he ripped his wrist away and opened the door. The room was solemn, with an eerie silence hung warily far over the boys heads. Robin did not hesitate and entered the room, while Beast Boy lingered at the doorway, uneasily poking a head in. "I don't know about this, Rob....." he whined. Robin stealthily crept about the room, running his fingers over various objects to get a better understanding. "BB, ya want the girl, ya want the baggage. Now get out of the rain, step into the lobby, and carry her's up to her room!" Beast Boy stared at him for a moment, confused by his previous statement. Robin turned to him with a twisted mouth. "The analogy sounded good in my head, I thought I was being clever........" he paused for a second, before lashed his hand out and dragging a reluctant Beast Boy into the room, letting the door shut with a 'click' behind him. He then continued milling about the room, fumbling through drawers and plundering through elaborate chests. He did so with the most delicate ease and replaced everything exactly where he originally found it.  
  
Beast Boy, meanwhile, stood huddled in the corner shuddering, his eyes darting rapidly back and forth. "I'm gonna die in here, and I never tasted grapefruit!!!" he wailed melodramatically. "Eh, you didn't miss much. Now papaya, THAT'S the money melon!" (A/N: RANDOM SIMPSONS QUOTE ALERT!!) Then Robin smirked victoriously as he slowly lifted a book from a shelf and casually pet it. "Bingo." he said simply. Beast Boy, suddenly brave for one reason or another, blundered over to Robin and peeked a head over his shoulder. "What is it?" he asked in awe. "It's a book, Beast Boy. You know, those things with the funny squiggles that form stuff? Maybe you've heard of them?" Robin asked with a slight smirk. Beast Boy glared. "WHICH book IS it?" he irately questioned, his patience running thin. Robin smiled again and tossed the book into the shape shifter's direction. He, however, had not been prepared, and the paperback smacked him hard in the head, dropping to the floor. Beast Boy yelped, but Robin leapt to his side and clamped a hand over his mouth. "SHHHH-HH!!! For all we know Raven could be right outside! Lord knows Star can only occupy her for so long." he harshly whispered, slowly pulling his hand away.  
  
Beast Boy nodded and bent to pick up the item. On the front cover was a black and white picture of 2 men, perhaps from the 1930's era, with one drastically larger and stronger looking that the other. Above it was a neat scripture spiraling into 4 perfectly crafter words.  
  
"Of Mice and Men."  
  
Beast Boy read the title aloud, then lifted his head to view Robin with a raised eyebrow. "Soooo, what's this supposed to do for me?" He questioned, and the leader sighed and shook his head. "It's one of Raven's favorite books." he replied, but Beast Boy looked skeptical. "How do you know?" "Because it was slightly pulled away from the rest of the books, like it had just been put away. Plus, the covers are both bent back and creased, like it had been open a number of times to read again and again. Also note the extensive tearstains smudging the words on the pages towards the end." Beast Boy examined each of the things directed, then glanced back at Robin. He was GOOD.  
  
"So how do you know she's not reading it now, IF this indeed such a good book?" the green lad asked, feeling he outwitted the master. Robin remained unfazed as he casually picked out another paperback. "Because, if she was, the pages would be folded down to mark the page. The corners are bent, but not folded down. Plus, the book on the 4th shelf 2nd from the left has a small, red mark." Beast Boy raised his eyebrows in shock. He was REALLY good. Mental note: Stay on Robin's good side.  
  
Beast Boy casually began to flip through it, skimming over a few selected words. "It's short enough. If you dedicate yourself I'll bet you can finish in a good 2 hours, granted you're a slow reader. This can lead to a nice little discussion topic with Raven. Now, get that pad of stationary on the desk." Beast Boy did as he was told and snatched it off the wooden board. He listened for his leader's instructions. "Write these down; Edgar Allen Poe, Charles Dickens, Homer, Harper Lee, Edith Wharton, William Shakespeare, Ernest Hemingway........"  
  
"D.........I..........C..........K.........wait, that spells dick!! HA HA!! HIS NAME IS DICK!!!!" Beast Boy laughed vociferously, and Robin groaned as he ripped the pad out of his companion's green fingers. "Honestly, it's like I'm talking to a monkey!" he mumbled as he finished scribbling a long list of names on the sheet and thrust it into his chest. "Would you like me to DATE Raven for you, too?!" he asked huffily. Beast Boy scowled and raised an accusing finger. "Dude, hands off! You've got your own little slice of heaven and I want mine! NO TOUCHY RAVEY!!!" Robin gave him an odd look as if to say, 'I was joking you idiotic moron. Get a grip' He shook his brunette head, sighing once again. "Look," he said softly, changing the subject, "That's a long list of authors Raven seems to like. Read some of their work. It'll help you out." Robin was going to continue about the importance of staying discrete when he was interrupted by a slamming door outside. Beast Boy and Robin both froze as 2 very soft, very familiar VERY feminine voices arose from the living room.  
  
"Raven, I deeply apologize for inviting you on an excursion to supermarket! Had we not gone those boys' actions would not have commenced! Please do not be angered with me!"  
  
"I'm not mad at you, Starfire; it's not your fault. I'm just mad that any boy that sees a couple of girls walking down the street find it their obligation to tell them how hot they are. I'm glad we went out. Honestly. I'm just annoyed is all."  
  
Beast Boy squeaked in terror, biting hard down on his lip. Robin remained impassive, and silently slipped towards the door. Beast Boy followed, pressing his body against the wall and sliding along it. Robin pantomimed locking up his mouth and tossing away the key to Beast Boy, who responded with an 'A-OK,' sign. Robin pressed his ear to the door in an effort to hear the conversation better. Beast Boy, beneath him, did the same.  
  
"Perhaps together we can watch the movie of horrors of your choice. Most certainly the one that 'shines' and the words spelled backwards will definitely sooth your nerves."  
  
"Nice suggestion, Starfire, but I don't think I'm up for it. I think I'll just prepare some tea and return to my room and read a little. I need to relax."  
  
Beast Boy and Robin exchanged frightful glances, but Robin's seemed to vanish much quicker than Beast Boy's did. "Ok, ok," he murmured reassuringly. "Raven said she wanted tea, right? Can't make hot tea without hot water! It's gotta boil, so that can buy us some time."  
  
It was then the boys heard from the kitchen a loud, high pitched whistle.  
  
"And then Robin exploded." Robin said sarcastically, frantically searching his mind for a plan. Quickly, he removed a small, blazing yellow item from his utility belt. He held down the flashing red button and waited until a faint static answered him. "Yo, Cy here. What's the dillyo?" a crackled voice replied. Robin breathed a soft sigh of relief at the response and brought the communicator close to his lips.  
  
"Cyborg? It's Robin. Listen I need you to do me a HUGE favor."  
  
"Shoot, man."  
  
"Me and Beast Boy are holed up in Raven's room and she's on her way back. I need you to stall her any ways necessary. Do NOT by any means let them leave that room!"  
  
There was a pause, as if the metallic man were contemplating his decision.  
  
"What's in it for me?"  
  
Robin gritted his teeth as Beast Boy toppled backwards, letting his legs still tangle awkwardly in the air.  
  
"Cyborg!! Don't act like a weenie! Your teammates need you and now is not the time to be selfish!"  
  
"Fine, then I'm not coming. Have fun when Raven gets back! And don't worry, I'll take GOOD care of the girls, if ya know what I mean."  
  
Cyborg's taunts ended with a fit of loud, mocking laughter, and Robin's cheeks burned in his anger. He tightened his grip on the communicator, growling, then sighed exasperated and spoke once again.  
  
"Fine. You know that autographed Sublime poster I've got in my room?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
".....It's yours."  
  
"SWEET! Knew ya'd come around, buddy! Wait there, I'll keep 'em busy!!!"  
  
The communicator switched off, and the only reassurance the boys had that Cyborg kept his word were the thundering footsteps outside the door and the faint humming of something that sounded vaguely like 'Date Rape.' Robin sullenly stuffed the yellow item back into his belt, grumbling a few choice obscenities under his breath. Beast Boy sighed, scratching the back of his head. "So.....can we go now?" he asked, but the ebony haired teen shook his head. "We gotta wait a bit, so it doesn't seem suspicious." There were a few minutes of silence, before Beast Boy awkwardly cleared his throat and scratched his chin. "You're not giving him that poster, are you?" "HELL no!" Robin replied, crossing his arms to emphasize his point. They sat in the still darkness for a few moments more, stubbornly waiting for something unknown. Beast Boy twiddled his thumbs, with nothing better to do, until he noticed something gleaming on one of his fingers. He brought his hand closer to his eye to examine it, and realized it was one of his many rings from his previous game of 'dress up.' "Hmm, musta missed that one when I got changed." he thought, and removed it and stuffed it in his pocket. Finally, Robin stretched and crossed slowly to the door, cautiously pressing his hands against the door and slowly sliding it open. Poking his head out, he confirmed that the coast was clear, and he slipped out the door quietly and motioned Beast Boy to do the same.  
  
Beast Boy nervously stuck out his foot and after tapping the ground several times, he stepped into the light and breathed a sigh of relief, thanking God he was still alive. Robin smiled somewhat tauntingly, arms akimbo. "See? That wasn't so hard. Now we've got some key evidence to unlock Raven's inner psyche, it'll be easier for you to spark conversation with her." Beast Boy beamed as he thought of the possibilities, glancing down at the list of authors he clutched in his green fist, then casually shook the book he held in the other. "This is great! Im'a get a head start on this book!" he cheerily cried, and Robin nodded. "Good job, man. I'm gonna go take a shower, I reek of darkness and teenage angst." he said with a laugh, and turned on his heal to his room. Beast Boy started in the opposite direction to go to his, but stopped mid-step and turned back to face the disappearing leader. "But, Rob! What about Cy and the girls?" Robin stopped and brought a hand to his chin, pondering for a moment, but then waved his hand a resumed walking. "Eh, they'll be fine, I'm sure. What could happen?" he smirked, and vanished down the corridor. Beast Boy waved in his direction and started back to his room leafing through the book, thankful his ordeal in his secret lover's room was over. However, in his excitement, Beast Boy overlooked something, something that could lead to dire consequences.  
  
Beast Boy had a hole in his pocket.  
  
15 minutes later, Robin entered the main hall, vigorously rubbing a bright red towel over his head, using it to snatch up any missed water droplets that clung to his charcoal hair. He stopped, draping the towel lazily across his neck, his raven black hair hanging loosely into his eyes. He readjusted his golden belt, making sure it was perfectly straight, and smiled, holding back a laugh. Apparently, Cyborg's distraction was wearing on the girls; Starfire sat cross legged on the floor, her elbow propped up on the coffee table and he chin resting in her palm while Raven glared at the wall, gritting her teeth as she desperately tried to keep her vexation pent up. Cyborg was oblivious to them, and continued jabbering about his topic.  
  
"So if you take THAT bottle down and pass it around......."  
  
"ALRIGHT!!! ALRIGHT!!!! I GET IT!!!! THEY'LL BE 46 BOTTLES OF BEER ON THE WALL!!! Now will you PLEASE shut your incredibly large trap before I shut it FOR you?!?!" The window parallel to Raven's seat cracked slightly, on the brink of shattering. Raven inhaled deeply, keeping her emotions in check, and rose to go to the kitchen. Cyborg chased after her. "But wait! You'll never know what happens after 46!!!" he called, and Raven groaned in frustration as a pillow on the couch exploded, scattering several feathers all about the room. Star, despite jumping a little from the sound, yawned in boredom, scanning the room until her eyes laid of Robin. He smiled at her, and her face lit up like a little kid on Christmas day. She leapt into his arms and he gently pressed his lips to hers as she brushed his dark hair out of his eyes. "Thank you Robin." she whispered, tightening her hold on his waist. "I feared that if I were to hear another bottle's plight......well, I could not be held accountable for my actions." She smiled, and he giggled nervously, feeling a twinge of guilt for having to subject her to that.  
  
Cyborg noticed Robin's presence and scooted away from the telepath, grinning victoriously as he flopped down on the couch. Robin rolled his eyes, but joined him with Starfire in tow. "So dude, I kept up my end of the deal, you've gotta keep up yours." he harshly whispered, smirking. Starfire looked at him quizzically. "Deal? What is this deal he speaks of, Robin?" she questioned. Robin nervously tugged at his collar, stammering as he tried to think of the best possible way to tell his girlfriend that he bribed his friend to annoy her and her best friend for his own benefits. Luckily, his mumbling was broken by the toneless voice of Raven from the kitchen. "Ugh, Cyborg, your incessant babbling has caused my tea to grow cold. And since the water has ceased boiling, I must brew another pot." She shot a look at the robot that could kill, and he sunk deeper into the cushions to avoid it. The 3 watched Raven as she refilled the silver pot with water and placed it on the stove, switching the dial until the heat rose and warmed the frigid liquid. She paced back to the sink to dump out her now-cold drink, only to be taken aback when she was met with a mountain size pile of dishes. She groaned and turned to her teammates.  
  
"Who's the imbecile who forgot to do the dishes?" she irately questioned, tapping her foot. The Titans exchanged glances, each calculating the chore calendar in their heads, and looked back at her each with an innocent smile. "You." they all replied in unison, and Raven parted her grey lips slightly in shock, raising her eyebrows. Squinting, she recalled the chart the Titans assembled to keep order in the tower.......today was Wednesday.........meaning she had kitchen duty. Her cheeks flushed crimson in embarrassment. "Oh." she said simply, turning her back to her friends so they would not see she vibrant red face, and silently began her task. Starfire giggled, and faced her male counterparts that had sat on either side of her. "Since Raven is busy, it would be a perfect time for a conversation. Tell me, where is Beast Boy?" As if on cue, Beast Boy entered the room, grinning from ear to ear and clutching a small paperback under his arm.  
  
Cyborg chuckled and pointed to the kitchen, where Raven's hands were lost under a sea of foamy, shimmering bubbles, occasionally appeared to place a glass item on the side to dry. Beast Boy's confidence visibly deteriorated as the color ran away from his face, audibly gulping. Apparently actually seeing the girl and having to perform the task was easier said then done. It took a literal good hearted push in the right direction (delivered by Cyborg) to get his feet rooted out from the ground. After nearly toppling head over heals, Beast Boy stopped a few feet behind Raven, watching her silently work in awe. Her hands worked tirelessly beneath the never ending pool of suds, and gradually the pile began to decrease in size. She sighed, lifting her hands from the water and shaking off the moisture on them. Some of it splashed on Beast Boy, causing him to blush and shy away. As Raven drained the sink, letting the bubbles spiral downward in an infinite puddle of glimmering green and blue, she lifted a dishtowel and casually began to dry the glass. Beast Boy inhaled deeply, preparing himself for his moment. Raven had finished a small pile of plates, and turned to place them in the cabinet when she was met face to face with her green admirer.  
  
Raven gasped in surprise, nearly dropping the stack, but managed to secure them with her knee. "Beast Boy....you startled me. I didn't know you were there." she said monotonously, tucking a strand of violet hair behind her ear. Beast Boy hid his hands behind his back so as she would not see them trembling. "HI.....ahem.....Raven." he said, his cheeks crimson for his statement. His voice cracked involuntarily on his first word, then in an attempt to compensate, he cleared his throat and spoke his second word with a deep, rich voice. Raven cocked an eyebrow suspiciously and shook her head at the boy, stepping around him and placing the plates on the tops shelf.  
  
Beast Boy glanced helplessly over towards the remaining teens, but Robin merely motioned for him to press on. Beast Boy whimpered slightly, stepping towards the purple haired telepath, who was now vigorously scrubbing a particular teacup. "So.....uh.......how've ya been?" he asked softly, trying to make conversation. The clatter of the bowls against one another voiced Raven's mood quite vividly, and she did not give him a second glance as she maneuvered around him with the stack in her hands. Neatly, she dispersed them in the cabinet before whirling back to the sink without breathing a word to the shape shifter. The hem of her cloak fluttered against Beast Boy's black clad legs, and he blushed with the thought of touching her. He cleared his throat and tried again.  
  
"So....uh.....wanna know something interesting? My dad's name was John."  
  
For the first time, Raven glanced over at him, slowly gyrating until she faced him. One eye was slight squinted, and the small layer of skin between her shapely eyebrows was furrowed. "Fascinating." she murmured with no interest whatsoever, and then returned to her work. Beast Boy coughed and went on. "Well, I mean, I thought it was kinda funny......since I just started reading a book by John STEINBECK."  
  
Raven stopped what she was doing, staring forward. Slowly, she set the fork she was polishing down on the countertop and faced him, no expression of emotion plaguing her face. "You.......read John Steinbeck?" she asked innocently, not letting on how interested she really was. Beast Boy beamed and nodded. "Yeah, I just started 'Of Mice and Men.'" A spark lit up deep in the pools of Raven's amethyst eyes and both her eyebrows jerked up slightly, intrigued. "Really? That's.....one of my favorite books. Where are you?" she questioned, unconsciously moving in closer to the boy. The others were encouraged by this turn of events, and all automatically slid to the end of the couch for a better view, Robin and Starfire poking a head over each of Cyborg's immense shoulders.  
  
"They just got to the farm and met.....uh......the old guy......who lost his hand? I can't remember his name......something edible.....Carrot? Celery?"  
  
"Candy?" she asked, repressing a giggle.  
  
*Wait, since when do I giggle?*  
  
Beast Boy slapped his forehead in his own stupidity. "THAT'S it! Man, I was WAY off!" he sent her a lopsided smile and she did her best not to smile back; something about that toothy grin of his made her want to forget about staying in check and just burst out into laughter, not caring what blew up in her wake.  
  
*Ok, this is weird. Beast Boy? Having an intelligent conversation? Did I get sucked in the Twilight Zone and nobody told me?*  
  
Beast Boy rocked back and forth on his heals, smiling like a Cheshire Cat as he waited for a response. "Yeah.....well, it's a really good book. Very well written. You should like it."  
  
"I already do." Beast Boy nearly whispered, beaming with his dark olive eyes shimmering. Robin silently cheered, squeezing Star's hand happily and bumping his clenched fist with Cyborg's awaiting one. "Nothing can possibly go wrong!." he muttered. Little did he know how wrong he was.  
  
"Yeah, it's really funny!" Beast Boy said with a laugh. Raven lowered her eyebrows, letting her grey lips part slightly from eachother. The spark in her eyes seemed to die out, and instead was replaced with something entirely different. Something not good. "What?" she curtly questioned. Beast Boy laughed again. "The book! I mean, Lenny's such a funny character!" The pot on the stove began to steam. "How so?" Raven inquired, keeping her rage in check. "Well, he's always like 'I wanna tend the rabbits, George! I ain't got no mouse, George!' I mean, he's got no other thought then those rabbits!!" Beast Boy was now lost in a fit of giggles, as Star cringed and Cyborg slapped his forehead, moaning. "Is he really as STUPID as I think he is?" he asked rhetorically.  
  
At this point, the pot was barely visible, as it was enwrapped in a puff of white smoke erupting from the spout. Beast Boy took no notice to these signs and pressed on. "Yeah! I mean, every time that guy speaks, it's hilarious! All he wanted was some ketchup with his beans, and suddenly that's his number one priority! Rabbits and ketchup, man, if I had a nickel for every time I laughed in that story, I'd sure have a lot of nickels!" The pot whistled so high it was a wonder the titans could hear it. It trembled on the heater, and with a vociferous 'BAM!' the lid exploded from the top, traveling with such force it flew through the ceiling. Behind it trailed a large glob of piping hot water, which splashing dangerously close to where Beast Boy stood.  
  
"You idiot!!! Lenny is slow because he has a mental illness!!! He thinks like a child!!! How dare you say those horrible things about him!! You have the gall, the utmost audacity to mock one of the greatest contributions to American Literature?! I can't BELIEVE you!! To think I would actually be able to carry an intelligent conversation with you....you........IMBECILE!!!"  
  
Raven shrieked her last choice words, causing the cracked window from before to shatter into a thousand pieces. Beast Boy cowered away in fear, huddled in a fetal position on the kitchen floor. The others stared in shock and terror, sliding back down the couch and as far away from the girl as possible. Raven inhaled a deep, quick breath, pulling her cloak over her shoulders and swiftly floated to the pot. She lifted the silver remains with a trembling hand, pouring out all that was left into her awaiting tea cup. The spout clanged several times against the cup's brim as she could not control her shaking hands. After quickly adding a spoonful of sugar, Raven spun and with a grunt of frustration, exited the room to enter her own. Beast Boy gazed pathetically at his friends, who each sent him their own individual 'you-are-an-idiot' look. "Soooo.....guess I blew that one, huh?" The teens toppled over in exasperation.  
  
Raven let her door close with a slam and angrily crossed to her bed, sighing as she sank into it. She took an innocent swig of her brew, and gagged. Bitter. In her rage she had not given herself enough time to add the proper sweeteners. She pushed the cup away on the bedside table. What a waste. Raven scoffed, fiddling with a strand of her hair as she thought. "Beast Boy........he has no appreciation for literature.........ugh, I hate that stupid green doofus." She scowled at the mere thought of him, but suddenly softened as something else dawned on her. "But.....then why did it feel so good when he was talking to me before?" She paused, before letting her mind register a solution. "Maybe.......maybe I don't give him enough credit. Maybe he deserves another chance.....perhaps....." Her muses ended there, as a small, shimmering object caught her eye from across the room. She squinted, trying to get a better look, before slowly rising and approaching it. When she reached it, she dropping to one knee, lifted it, and brought it to her eye for further examination. It was a small, silver ring. She glared, closing it in her fist, and not before long a trail of hot, silver liquid trailed from her clenched fingers.  
  
"Someone's been in my room........."  
  
~*~YAY!!! FINALLY DID CAPTER 3!!! WHOO!!! Again, I am SO sorry this took so long, what with school and volleyball and whatnot......I really hope you like it!! I made it extra long just for you! Enjoy, and please review! Thanks! Bye! ~*~ 


	4. The Good, the Bad, and the Easily Persua...

~*~ Hey everybody!! I'm back! I have risen from the shadows and RETURNED! I am SO sorry this took so long to update...to be honest, I had a momentary lack of interest, combined with the hectic holiday season. But, I caught a rerun on 'Nevermore' the other day, and my faith hath been RESTORED!!! Oh, and I know a lot of you are thinking this, so I'm going to answer it; if this story is about Raven, why is she hardly around? There's a reason, at the moment I'm building the story, which is currently focusing on Beast Boy. I have literally 5 or 6 chapters in my head dedicated solely to Raven. They might not be up for a bit tho :/ Oh well! I hope you like this!! Onward!!! ~*~  
  
The hours passed, and Raven's bubbling rage for Beast Boy had simmered down to a fizzing annoyance. Either way, he still tried to avoid her at all costs. Lord knows what could happen when a girl lost her temper, let alone a girl who could blow up half the earth in the process. That night, Beast Boy and Cyborg were both crouched in front of the TV, watching one of many pointless action movies in awe. Robin and Starfire had left for a night on the town, and Raven was still nowhere to be found. Suddenly, as if resurrecting from the shadows, Raven appeared, shooting a slight glower in Beast Boy's direction, who then cowered behind a large bowl of popcorn. She slouched next to Cyborg on the large couch, innocently cleaning her fingernails.  
  
"What's up, Raven? Come to join us for some midnight kung-fu action?" Cyborg asked, throwing in a few crude martial arts moves for good measure. "No. Carden's taking me out again." the telepath replied as she checked her teeth in a spoon she just summoned. Beast Boy flushed and growled at the ground, cupping his cheek in his palm. Cyborg realized the jealousy in his little friend quickly, and decided to play the role of the best friend. "You sure? I mean, c'mon Rae-" she scowled menacingly at him for the use of her nickname, "-eeven, you've gone out at least 4 times this week alone! You've gotta be short on cash!" Raven shrugged. "Carden pays." Beast Boy moaned slightly as the robot put on a determined look.  
  
"And the dude's not even your boyfriend?! Dang, it is wrong when a brother's gots ta pay for his woman when she's not even his woman yet!" he said slightly angered, shaking his head. Raven raised an eyebrow as she gave him an odd look. "First of all, Carden is not your 'brother' because he is not black. He is white. In fact, if he were any whiter, the boy would be transparent. Second, just because I happen to be good friends with a boy who happens to pay for my needs does not automatically mean we must date. And lastly, I am NOT nor will I EVER be somebody's 'woman.'" Raven ended eloquently, her tone not wavering from its monotonous drone. Beast Boy had sunk considerably deep into the carpet, leaning along the side of the bowl. In his effort to hide, he tipped the bowl over, spilling its popcorn contents all about the room. Raven looked to him, raising an eyebrow, and scoffed. Beast Boy flushed slightly and smiled innocently, plucking a few random kernels out of his clover hair.  
  
It may have been the way the light hit her, or maybe he was slightly delusional. Maybe his conscience was correct in saying he was insane, but whatever the reason, Beast Boy could have SWORN he caught a glimpse of Raven's eyes flicker flirtatiously as her full lips curled up in an amused SMILE. He was stunned. Whatever it was, it lasted half a moment, and vanished into time, and Raven's impassive expression returned to her pretty pale face. Beast Boy tried to shrug it off, hoping to dismiss it as a fluke in his eyesight, but something inside nagged at him, confirming that perhaps Raven wasn't as good at hiding her emotions as everyone thought.  
  
"You're an idiot." her toneless voice muttered, snapping him out of his trance. She floated to his side (a bit to close for Beast Boy's comfort) and sat on her knees beside him. Beast Boy was startled by this, and jerked up into a sitting position, shaking off a few popcorn pieces in the process. Raven sighed and put a hand to his shoulder to restrain him, but naturally it wouldn't require much strain in her part; the slightest touch from Raven was enough to make Beast Boy melt. Much to his delight, Raven began to brush the remaining particles out of the green lad's hair and off his shoulders, and he withheld the urge to beam wildly like a mad buffoon. "Honestly," she said as she flicked the last kernel out of a tuft of his verdant hair, "You're like a big baby. Do you need me to change your diaper too?" Her voice was serious, but the glint of her eyes said otherwise. Beast Boy felt a tug at the corner of his mouth, and suddenly the idea of Raven seeing him half naked was VERY entertaining.  
  
"Hey." A deep, monotonous voice sounded from the back of the room. Cyborg jumped a little in surprise, and turned his along with everyone else's gaze to the source. A sickly looking boy leaned on the doorway for support, a greasy messy section of his ebony hair concealing one of his sunken eyes. The other, which was in plain view, was heavily made up in black eye makeup. He wore a ringer t-shirt with a picture of a sorrowful-looking ghost on it, and his thumbs were hooked in the pockets of his black cargo pants. Beast Boy glared as Raven rose to almost excitedly join him at his side. "Hello CARDEN." he growled through gritted teeth, scorn dripping from his voice. Fearing another glass incident, Cyborg took a large step to the side to hide the fuming boy, although now it looked like steam was seeping from his shoulders. "How'd you get in here?" the robot questioned suspiciously, raising an eyebrow. "Front door. It wasn't locked so I just walked in." the gothic boy said, indicating the direction with his head. Cyborg wrinkled his nose in disgust. "Can someone PLEASE give us a security update?!"  
  
Carden ignored him and turned to Raven. "Ready to go?" he asked, idly picking at the chipping black nail polish on his thumb. Raven nodded and hitched her blue hood over her head, revealing only the dazzling brilliance of her bright mauve eyes. "I'll be back later." she muttered, and without another moment wasted they walked out the door. Cyborg glared and dropped his arms to his sides. "I don't like him." he mumbled, and flopped back on the couch. Beast Boy sighed and let himself slowly slide to the floor, and began absentmindedly collecting the bits of popcorn spread about the rug. Cyborg noted his friend's sullen mood, and tried to cheer him up.  
  
"Well, looks like it's a guys night in! C'mon, BB! You set up 'Narly Death Munchers IV' and I'll grab the snacks!! Betcha I can beat you in less than 20 minutes!" The shape shifter rose, but did not lift his head. "I'm gonna hafta pass, Cy. I don't feel like doing much now. I'm gonna hit the sack, I guess." He dropped the kernels and slowly strolled back to his room. "But-" it was too late, and any hope Cyborg had of lifting Beast Boy's spirits were gone. He groaned and crossed his arms. "This is all Raven's fault. If she didn't like that Carden kid BB wouldn't be so down. Grr. Women suck. Raven's thrown Beast Boy for a loop, and Star's turning Robin into a goo- goo pansy boy!" He glanced over his shoulder self consciously, for he knew that if the leader heard his previous statement, the 'pansy boy' would royally kick his ass. "Hmph. Girls play so many mind games, and they talk too much, and they need to have all control......I just don't get it! The female gender sucks. Why did God invent girls anyway?" He paused, and pondered a reasonable answer for his own query.  
  
"Oh yeah. Boobs."  
  
Beast Boy woefully entered his room, sighing. "I guess Raven deserves to be happy, right?" he muttered, slumping against the wall. Suddenly, he heard something outside far below. He rose and rushed to the window, throwing open the shudders and sticking his head out to listen. Sure enough, his keen animal ears had picked up the conversation of Raven and Carden at the edge of the water. "I know it's bad to eavesdrop.......but I don't really know what that means anyway." So he leaned on the window pane and cupped a hand over his ear to hear the entire thing.  
  
"Why don't I just fly you there? It will be much quicker." he heard Raven say.  
  
"No offence, Raven, but I'm not up for a flight. Heights make me woozy, and I doubt you want me barfing all over your cape."  
  
"Well then, what do YOU suggest we do? Swim?" Raven said slightly irritated.  
  
"Let's take the ferry. My treat."  
  
"That's pointless, though! I can just-"  
  
"Rae, c'mon, this will be better. For once, let's do things my way, huh?"  
  
And he trekked off to the docks. Even Beast Boy could not hear Raven murmur under her breath, "For ONCE?!" She followed and joined the boy at the bow of the white vessel, and with the clang of a loud bell, the ship pushed off the coast and into the bay. Beast Boy watched sadly as the boat slid serenely across the glassy surface of the water, shimmering in an array of yellows and whites as it reflected the lights of the awakening city. When it occurred to him.......  
  
"I could follow her......she'd never know......"  
  
Beast Boy noted how slowly the ship moved to reach its destination and how easy it would be to swoop down and perch himself on a rail. He could watch her all night, see what Carden does that's so special....it would help him so much and she wouldn't have a clue he was there.....  
  
"No.....that's invasion of privacy....I can't do that to her....could I?"  
  
"Sure you could!" A voice said beside him. Beast Boy turned to his left to find to his surprise a small man hanging lazily on his shoulder. To be more to the point, he was not a man, he WAS Beast Boy, the only visible differences being that he was dressed all in red, in a latex suit that stretched right down to his 2 hooves. 2 tiny horns poked out of his head, and he was leaning quite contently on a large pitchfork.  
  
"What have you got to lose?" the devil Beast Boy asked. The green lad raised an eyebrow. "Who the heck are you?" he asked, warily looking him up and down. The little man laughed and tapped the end of his pitchfork on Beast Boy's shoulder, shooting him a smile that was clearly devious. "The better half of your conscience. Now, listen to me buddy," he draped a persuasive arm around the lad's elfish ear, "Raven's not very.....whaddaya call it? Perceptive. Yeah. So, if you keep a good distance, she'll never know you're there!" Beast Boy, after recovering from his momentary shock, responded. "Well, I could see what she does all this time...get a head start on my next 'win-her-over' project....but no, I can't.."  
  
"Why not? You know you want to."  
  
A second voice had joined them, and on his right shoulder was another Beast- Boy clone identical to the one on the left.  
  
"How hard can it be? You stalk her like a hawk and when she gets suspicious you turn into a mosquito. Plus then you can give dark-boy those annoying bites."  
  
Beast Boy twiddled his thumbs anxiously, before looking up and whipping his head towards the second devil. "Hey! What happened to the angel-dude?"  
  
"He said he got tired of trying. Anyway, back to business-"  
  
Just then, a poof of white smoke puffed out of the air, and a bound and gagged angel Beast Boy was hovering infront of the changeling's face. His green hair was disheveled, his white robe in disarray, and a few strings had snapped on his harp. The devils groaned as he untied the rope around his wrists and removed the dirty sock that had been stuffed in his mouth.  
  
"GU-UYS!! You promised you wouldn't DO that anymore!" he whined, adjusting his halo.  
  
"Well, sooo-ry. We thought by now you would have figured out 'Wanna go to the zoo?' means 'We're gonna stuff you in a closet.'" the right demon replied, innocently cleaning his fingernails.  
  
"Or 'Come explore with us!' means 'We're gonna stuff you in a closet.' Or...'Hello' means 'We're gonna stuff you in a closet...or even-"  
  
"HELLO! Can we PLEASE get back to me?!" Beast Boy cried. The angel responded and floated right up to BB's left ear, shoving the devil out of the way.  
  
"Beast Boy, this is your voice of reason speaking. Following Raven is wrong! If she caught you she would, aside from ripping you limb-from-limb, never trust you again! You know how hard it is to gain trust again, don't you?"  
  
"That's true..."  
  
The left devil fumed, stepped up behind the angel, and forcefully thrust his pitchfork into his behind. The angel yelped in pain and tumbled off Beast Boy's shoulder and meekly fluttered downwards as the demons took control.  
  
"You're not gonna listen to this sissy, are you?" one pried, plucking a few feathers off the tips of his staff.  
  
"Well...he has a point...and I gotta give him credit cause he's outnumbered..."  
  
"Ok, ok, listen up, buddy-boy." The tiny being jumped onto the windowsill and with a burst of flames, summoned a small scroll. "I got 3 reasons right here why you should chase after her." He opened the paper and pulled a pair of golden rimmed glasses out of an invisible pocket from the front of his shirt. "Reason number 1-look at that guy! He's got that wimpy string thingy!" he said, pointing to the angel. The Good sighed, flapping his small wings to regain his spot on the shoulder.  
  
"We've gone over this. It's a harp, and you know it."  
  
The Evil scoffed. "Yeah, sure, THAT'S a harp, and THAT'S a dress."  
  
"ROBE!" the angel cried, flustered.  
  
The devil ignored him. "Reason number 2-" He tossed the paper into the air and it vanished with the flick of his wrist. "-look what I can do!" He bent over and stood on his hands, lifting both of his legs over his head. Beast Boy was, needless to say, confused.  
  
"But, what does that have to do with..."  
  
"No, no," the angel interrupted, watching the imp and stroking his chin thoughtfully. "He's got a point."  
  
Beast Boy groaned, waving his arms around trying to rid him of the spirits. "I've had enough of this! Be gone!...or....whatever I have to say to get rid of you."  
  
"That'll work." One of the sprite's muttered, and disappeared in a flash of red smoke.  
  
"Sure, sure, I know when I'm not wanted. Hey, wings, wanna go to the zoo?"  
  
The angel refrained from scowling and suddenly brightened, clapping his hands in excitement. "Oh boy! I love the zoo!!" And with the sound of wind chimes he was enveloped by a white fog and left. The remaining devil chuckled evilly. "So do I, buddy, so do I." he murmured maliciously, and, rubbing his hands, departed.  
  
Beast Boy was alone once again, and his thoughts had not progressed much. He glared into the darkness, and mentally kicked himself for getting distracted for so long. Now, being no closer to a decision and seriously contemplating the help of a therapist, Beast Boy leaning against the wall, watching the ferry slowly break the vesicular scene and reach the shore. He watched Carden and Raven, standing at the bow and chatting softly. He watched him speak, a cigarette bobbing about on his lips. The tip lit up a dark crimson and he inhaled the small cylinder before coolly releasing a cloud of smoke from his mouth. "I bet she loves that." Beast Boy thought grimly, glaring at the boy. He saw Carden toss the cigarette overboard and inch closer to the telepath next to him. His black-clad arm slinked around her slim shoulders.  
  
That tore it.  
  
Beast Boy jumped onto the ledge, clinging to the sill for balance. "She wants him." He stretched out his arms, set in his ways. "But I'm gonna change that." Without a second thought, he leapt from the window, marveling as his skin shifted into feathers and his boot-covered feet were replaced with talons. His eyes were reduced to nothing but black beads and his mouth formed a perfect, hard beak. With a vengeful screech, the hawk soared into the night sky, his beautiful green wings silhouetted by the moon.  
  
"Yo, BB, I know you're down, but I got a TV Guide and a bag of Cheesy Cheese O's that can make ya say otherwise!" Cyborg cheerfully chirped, entering the room with a grin and each of said items in either of his mechanical hands. His smile and happy demeanor diminished when he was greeted with an eerie silence. He let his arms fall to his sides, quizzically searching the room u and down. "Beast Boy? Hello? Where'd you-" It was then he caught sight of the open window, the dark curtains billowing with the cool sea breeze. Cyborg tensed up and gasped, dropped what his was holding and rushed to the window. "BEAST BOY!" he shouted, but it was too late; the green hawk had safely landed on a streetlight across the lake and morphed into a sparrow as he stalked familiar purple-haired goth.  
  
"No, no, NO!" Cyborg clamored, gritting his teeth and slumping to the floor. "If she kills him, who'm I gonna play in video games?!"  
  
~*~ Well, it took a while, but I finally did it! I hope you like it and once again I apologize for the wait. Hopefully this will tide you over till I get the time to write 5. Enjoy! Bye! ~*~ 


	5. Stalking the Snappers

_...Uh....Hi? Remember me? Wow, I am SO sorry I haven't updated for so long. I apologize, but I needed a break from I thank you all for being so patient, and now that the summer has hit and I have more free time, updates should be more frequent. But, I warn you, they will not be everyday. I have training for track in the mornings, SAT prep courses, work, friends, and miscellaneous. But they WILL be fairly often, since I get home at 11 usually and stay up til 3 writing. AND majorly cool I finally did the right writing format! It's so easy to read now! YAY FOR ME! Again, PLEASE don't kill me before I finish the story....I'M SORRRRRRRYYYYY!!!! **runs away crying   
**  
Oh yeah, and this chapter is dedicated to TJ Rose and The Epyon Avenger, because their awesomely nice reviews for 'Foolish Games' and 'She Breaks', and this, were what made me get off my butt and update this bi-yotch. You're amazing, guys!!!_  
  
Raven rested her chin in her palm and propped her elbow in the banister of the boat. They were approaching the shore, and Raven was secretly savoring the serene mien. She glanced at the water dividing in waves before her as the boat cut through the surface. Above, the stars glittered affectionately, and occasionally a meteor would streak by. The warm sea breeze tickled her face and tangled itself in her lilac hair. It was a gorgeous summer night, one that should be enjoyed...but...she wasn't.  
  
Raven wrinkled her nose in thought; an hour ago, she had been ecstatic to see Carden again. Now, she just wanted to go home. Odd. She began to ponder the reasons why.  
  
Carden had an acute knowledge of literature, a passion for all types of music, and an extreme hatred for the government. Save for the latter, all topics interested her. (She stayed as far as she could from politics.) The two had been able to have long, intellectual discussions on their previous nights out, and Raven had always enjoyed his company. But even still, the nagging feeling of regret and reluctance burrowed into her chest as they grew further and further from the tower.  
  
It wasn't even that she wanted to stay home, or be away from Carden, for that matter. She didn't know why, but she was drawn back to the tower, and thought maybe a night in would have been for the best. She scoffed; that was stupid, what would she do at home, anyway? Watch Cyborg stuff ten pounds of meat down his throat as he whupped Beast Boy in a pointless video game?  
  
Beast Boy. What a buffoon. What a waste of perfectly good skin. He was always cracking jokes, getting in the way, acting childish. She rolled her eyes as the image of him sprawled out on the living room floor and covered in kernels popped into her head. He looked so stupid, so moronic. Beast Boy, the team's resident idiot.  
  
"Although," she wondered internally as she tilted her head so her cheek rested in the palm of her hand. "I find it weird that he's even in my thoughts at all."  
  
"Raven? Hello? Are you listening?"  
  
"Huh?" the goth snapped back to reality and straightened herself up, innocently hiding her hands in her cape. She realized now that Carden had been prattling on about something the whole time, and she had not heard a word of it.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I-uh..." she sheepishly eyed the ground, scanning her mind for something to say. She cleared her throat and took a breath, looking up to him with feigned confidence.  
  
"Bush sucks."  
  
"Hah, you got that right." and once again he began to ramble about the benefits of anarchy. Raven let a small smile escape; he was so predictable. Now that he had gained her full attention, she noticed finally that his arm had managed to loop its way around her shoulders. She groaned softly and shrugged it off, taking a step away from him. She'd always hated public displays of affection, and Carden's constant attempts made her uncomfortable. Upon doing that, she could have sworn she heard a small cheer, but dismissed it as something coming from the mainland.  
  
The boat finally docked, and the two exited onto the boardwalk. Raven sighed and floated to a bench, and Carden followed suit. He sat dangerously close to her, but she merely scooted down, wincing slightly from the tiny splinters catching in the seat of her uniform. Carden stuffed his hands in his pockets and fumbled around in them to find something.  
  
"So, what do you feel like doing?" he asked monotonously, and finally found his box of cigarettes. He pulled one out and instead of lighting it, stuck it behind his ear.  
  
Raven watched the Tower across the bay. Her face remained impassive, as always, but her eyes still glinted mournfully and the pull to go home had never been stronger. She could see the massive silhouette of Cyborg moving to and fro in the brightly litted windows, carrying insane amounts of, what would be assumed as, food in his arms with each trip.  
  
Where was Beast Boy?  
  
"Oh." She finally said reluctantly; unlike a few moments ago she had managed not to slip into a trance and had heard the boy's previous question. "I'm thirsty." she said emotionlessly, crossing her arms over her chest.  
  
"Great." Carden said upon rising. "We can pick up a cup of coffee at this café nearby. Let's go."  
  
He extended his hand to her, but she merely pushed it away and fell into step with him as they walked to the café.  
  
Unbeknownst to them, a green sparrow watched venomously from above. It swooped in a little lower before transforming into a common moth in midair.  
  
"Ok, Gothy Mc Goth Goth the Gothiest Goth ever to Goth the Goth's Goth of Goth." he paused, he never was very good at insults. "You're gonna learn what happens when you mess with the BEAST!"  
  
Raven nodded appreciatively when Carden held the door of 'The Skit-Scat Lounge,' which was the name of the café they had found. They entered the dimly lit hall, and Raven breathed in the refreshing scent of coffee beans and scones. She sighed, shortly but happily, and let her eyes wander around the room. It was very beatnik for her taste, but she loved the atmosphere. Everyone there gave off a sensation of appreciation for art and poetry and cappuccinos. She did not show it externally, but inward she was grinning wildly. These were her people.  
  
"Like it?"  
  
She continued to allow her eyes explore the premise. "It's wonderful." she stated, and although her voice was emotionless it had an air of awe. Beast Boy rolled his eyes as Carden pulled out a chair for Raven to sit on before seating himself across from her at a high wooden table. He fluttered in closer, still as a moth, and tried to get a better view.  
  
Suddenly, he felt a hypnotic pull draw him to the lamp that hung over the 2. He couldn't control himself as he blindly flew to it, and did not stop when he repeatedly banged into the bulb.  
  
"Must...go...to...the....light..." he murmured, but quickly chided himself and snapped out of his trance. To avoid the event from happening again, he morphed into a fly and perched himself on the edge of Raven's hood. Since it was down, and the room was dark to begin with, he went unnoticed.  
  
A skinny man dressed in a black turtle neck and sanded jeans approached. He was significantly older than the teens; perhaps in his mid twenties. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of dark glasses, which seemed odd and Beast Boy wondered how he could see. His hair was tidy and a rich brown underneath his strategically placed black beret, and a goatee of the same color hung from his strong chin. Beast Boy smiled slightly in his insect form; the guy seemed really cool, and he considered liking him.  
  
"Heya, cool cats. The name's Beats, and I'm gonna be servin' up some fine grub tonight. Any idea what you'd like?" Raven opened her mouth to order, but Carden abruptly cut her off.  
  
"We'll both have a regular coffee, black."  
  
Beats wrote it down and flashed a grin. "Coming right up, swingers!"  
  
Raven raised a finger to say otherwise, but before she could speak the beatnik had scurried back to fetch the order. She growled lightly and turned to the boy adjacent from her, glaring menacingly. "Why did you do that?"  
  
Carden flipped the large section of hair away from his face with a flick of his head, only to have it sag back into place. "What?"  
  
Her scowl worsened. "Order for me. I'm fully capable of doing it myself."  
  
"I thought I was doing you a favor." he answered nonchalantly, ignoring her clenching fists.  
  
"Well, if you're going to pull that lame macho 'guy must do everything because girls are weak and helpless and can't see past the bright lights beyond their kitchen' crap, the least you can do is get me something I like."  
  
"You love coffee."  
  
"YOU love coffee! I can't stand the stuff. It tastes like chalk and it yellows your teeth. I prefer tea, herbal at that."  
  
"Whatever. Do something nice for a person and they spit in your face."  
  
"JERK!" a high pitched, squeaky voice called faintly from behind her. She turned her head sideways and searched for the source, eyeing everything suspiciously, but when she found nothing she reluctantly faced Carden again.  
  
Beast Boy had managed to zip beneath the table before Raven had caught him. That little outburst of his could have cost him his life, but he couldn't help it. Carden was acting like an ass, and he had to voice that fact. "Well," he thought as he whipped out a notepad from beneath his wing. "I DID find out Raven hates coffee, and likes to be independent. Despite scary kid being a jack-hole, at least something productive happened." He scribbled the information messily onto the paper, before returning to his perch, this time on the back of Carden's chair.  
  
Beats quickly returned with the order and set it on the table before them, but Raven managed to snag his arm before he scampered off again. "Could I get an herbal tea instead?" she asked.  
  
He gave an apologetic shrug. "Sorry, Foxy, but unless you're willing to pay for another drink I can't replace this one."  
  
She glowered at Carden once again, but he remained unaffected. "What? You have money, don't you?"  
  
Raven used everything she had not to blow up something. She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, finally releasing the waiter's wrist. "Forget it. Can I just get some milk and sugar?"  
  
Beats nodded and sent her a genuine, sympathetic smile before retrieving her request. When she received it, she hastily poured the entire pitcher of milk in and added a good 3 packets of sugar. She took her time stirring it, buying herself more time. Eventually, she raised the mug to her lips and sipped the liquid within, and it took ever power she possessed not to gag on the spot. She instead coughed and pushed it away.  
  
"Oh c'mon. It's not that bad." Carden whined, and gulped down his own. Raven didn't want to look at him, and instead locked her attention on the platform in front of her. It was a small wooden stand protruding from the wall, probably about a foot or so in height, and it acted as a stage. Currently, a pretty young girl sat on a stool performing, bathing in the soft beam of light surrounding her. She strummed her guitar melodically as she accompanied it by sweetly singing a song she wrote of an unrequited love. Beast Boy found it very appropriate. The girl's performance ended and she was showered in a chorus of snapping fingers. A few well timed 'whoops' were added in, but the deafening applause was enough for her.  
  
"Thank you." she whispered into the microphone, smiling happily and shyly tucking her curly red hair behind her ear. She stepped off the stage and leaned her guitar against a chair as several of her friends congratulated her. Beats quickly hopped up on stage, beaming and snapping his fingers. He held out a hand to silence the sound and pulled the microphone out of its holder.  
  
"Alright, alright, that was swinging! Everyone, another round of applause for the lovely Miss Jamie and her totally happenin' song!" The room erupted with the sound of snapping once again, and the red head blushed appreciatively.  
  
"That was really good. She has a command over her instrument." Raven commented, mostly to herself, and Beast Boy whipped out the notebook once again and wrote the word MUSIC in bold letters, underlining it several times for good measure.  
  
Beats began to speak again, and the room hushed to hear what he had to say. "So, as you cats know, it's open mic night here at the Skit-Scat, and we encourage anyone to c'mon up and express yourself. Any other volunteers?" After a moment or two, Carden rose and slowly made his way to the stage. Raven raised an eyebrow questioningly, but continued to stir her coffee absently. She leaned in to see what her company would do.  
  
"My man! What's your name, brotha'?" Beats asked politely when the goth reached the stage.  
  
"Carden, and I'll be reading an original poem of mine." he mumbled into the mic. Beats smiled.  
  
"Rockin'! Do your stuff, kid!" and he stepped off to allow the boy to perform. Carden replaced the mic into the holder and pulled a small piece of paper from his pocket.  
  
"I wrote this about someone who's here tonight. This is for you, Raven." he gave her a smile, and her eyes widened, both shocked and flattered. Beast Boy glared at him and muttered a few choice words. Carden cleared his throat and began.  
  
"Dark. I am dark, like the night. Black is dark, like me, the night. Dark is dark, so I am I. Me am me. Everything is black. Black is good. But good is bad. So I am bad. But I am good. Which is bad. Dark. Black. Me."  
  
He looked up and awaited a reaction. There was a long silence as people tried to piece the work together. Many brows were either raised or furrowing in confusion. A few snaps echoed in the otherwise silent room out of sheer pity. Raven's eyes squinted as she shook her head.  
  
"That didn't even make any sense." she said dazedly, pushing her cup to the center of the table.  
  
Beast Boy cocked his head to the side and tried to figure everything out. "That poem was supposed to be about Raven, and it only talked about him!...I think. He probably just said that to impress her. That worked fabulously. Heck, I can write better poetry than that!" Suddenly his face lit up, and he noted it in his journal.  
  
Carden huffed offstage, mumbling something about commoners not appreciating real art, and stomped back to the table. "We're leaving." he ordered, and dropped a few dollar bills on the table as he exited. Raven glanced over and mentally tallied the bill; Carden left just enough to cover the 2 coffees and not a cent for a tip. Without a second thought, Raven pulled a five dollar bill from her pocket and placed it under the salt shaker. She hoped off her chair and turned to leave, but a voice stopped her.  
  
"That's a pretty hefty tip, little lady."  
  
She turned back to see Beats cleaning the table, fingering the fiver in his fingers. He held it out for her to take back, but she declined. "You deserve it. You've been nothing but courteous, even to my friend, who didn't deserve the time of day."  
  
Beats smiled and pocketed the money with a slight reluctance. He dropped Carden's empty cup into a black bin that he balanced between his hip and his hand and reached for Raven's. Upon peering inside and seeing it was nearly full, he gave a little laugh and glanced back up at her. "I take it your not a coffee person."  
  
Raven smirked a little and shook her head. "I enjoy the scent, but the taste makes me wanna run into oncoming traffic."  
  
Beats laughed. "I hear that, missy. I'm more of a latte person myself. Still the stuff, but mixed to perfection."  
  
"HEY! RAVEN! WE LEAVING OR WHAT?!" Carden called rudely from outside. She winced at the sound of his voice and sighed, defeated.  
  
"I'm sorry. I have to go." she muttered, and prepared to leave, but Beats's hand managed to snag her wrist.  
  
"Y'know, babe, if I was you, I'd ditch the stiff and head on to bigger, better things. There are other fishies in the sea."  
  
She had to smile. It was an impulse. "I bet you say that to all the customers."  
  
Beats chuckled and let her go, readjusting the bin. "If I did, my girlfriend would beat me down with that guitar of hers." He gestured with his head, and Raven realized he was indicating the pretty red head who was performing before. She laughed a little at the turn of events.  
  
"She's your-"  
  
"Yeah. Jamie's mah main lady. She helps me run the place you know. She's incredible."  
  
Raven's eyes glittered in the darkness, and she secretly loved the idea of the soft spoken musician going steady with the funny, hip beatnik. She couldn't have planned it better herself.  
  
"RAVEN!" Carden hollered impatiently, and Raven groaned in exasperation.  
  
"FINE!" she screamed back, drawing a few stares as her burst of emotion caused a nearby cup to explode. Beats was taken aback, and nearly dropped the bin in the process. Raven gasped, embarrassed her powers got out of control, and quickly gathered the pieces. She enveloped each piece in her dark energy, miraculously 'healing' the cup, before placing it into the bin.  
  
"That was different."  
  
She flushed. "Er-yeah...by the way..."  
  
"You're a Titan? Heh, I figured. Not everyone parades around in leotards and capes without reason."  
  
Her blush intensified, but she managed to subdue it before anything else happened. "I-I really have to go. Can't keep lover boy waiting." her last sentence was spoken with disdain, and Beats grinned a little as he extended his hand.  
  
"It was nice meeting, ya, sweets."  
  
She accepted it and nodded. "Ditto." She stated simply, and resumed leaving. She had finally reached the door, when Beats called her back again.  
  
"Hey!" he cried over the noise of the coffee house. Raven turned back to see him, her hand resting on the doorknob. Beats flashed her a thousand watt, sincere smile and let his sunglasses slide down the bridge of his nose, revealing two sea foam green dazzling eyes.  
  
"Stop by anytime you want some herbal tea. On me."  
  
Ok, there was no stopping it. She beamed at his kindness, excited by the offer, before finally exiting. Beats gathered the rest of the dirty dishes silently and retreated to the kitchen. Unknown to him, Beast Boy watched him from his spot, grinning. He then decided; he DEFINETLY liked this guy.  
  
_HOLY FISHPASTE I ACTUALLY DID IT!!! WHEEE!!! **falls over** Actually, truth be told, I think this is my favorite chapter thus far. Mostly because I am in love with Beats. He was originally 'unknown waiter guy' but I liked the beatnik character so much I gave him a personality. I started running out of nicknames, though. So yeah, the chapter was just to show some of the stuff Carden does, and to be more Raven-centered, because I love her to death **hugs** The next half will be up soon, Robin and Starfire come into the picture, and Beast Boy is NABBED! Please review, it means the world to me. Thanks!_


	6. Guilty as Charged

_Hey everybody! Thank you so much for the reviews! They were so nice! Hands everyone a biscotti Hoo-rah! You know what? I like Beats so much, I might actually write a spin-off fic all about him and Jaime! It would be pointless and annoying BUT IT WOULD HAVE BEATS! YAAAAAAY!!! Oh yeah, and for future reference, Beats wasn't hitting on Raven. That's why I made the point if saying he was in his 20's. He was just being friendly. Now that I am back in the swing of things, we can skip the formalities and head straight to the meat! YAY MEAT!  
_  
Raven had been walking rather quickly, simply because she couldn't stand to be around Carden anymore. Common sense would call for her to just fly off and head home, but she didn't want to draw anymore attention to herself, and plus, she was not rude enough to abandon someone she was on a supposed date with. So here she was, practically running, with her arms crossed firmly over her stomach and wearing a scowl that could make grown men cry.  
  
Beast Boy was, to say the least, enjoying this. The tables had turned, and Raven's affection for Carden seemed to be waning. By the looks of things, he would have Raven by the end of the week. He watched over them eagerly as a squirrel as Carden trotted up alongside Raven.  
  
"What's your deal?" he asked impatiently, sidestepping her so he now blocked her path. She scowled at him and grudgingly stopped, digging her nails into her arms in anger.  
  
"**MY** deal? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I wasn't the one acting like a steroid induced conceited macho **BASTARD**. The fault lies all in you." She turned her back to him and her grimace intensified.  
  
Carden sighed, ruffling his hair and slouching against the tree Beast Boy happened to be residing in. The shape shifter glared menacingly at him, but it was lost in his furry, puffed-up squirrel cheeks.  
  
"Ok, look, I know I haven't been the coolest person tonight, and I-I'm sorry." Raven raised an eyebrow and allowed her eyes to travel back to him. "I've kinda been in a funk lately, so I'm a little ornery."  
  
"A _LITTLE_?" She quipped, and she pinched her skin to the point of bleeding.  
  
Beast Boy smirked at this remark. "That's it, Rae." he whispered. "Get rid of him. He's deadweight. Date me instead. I'm cute, lovable, and downright infectious!"  
  
Carden sighed and pulled the cigarette out from behind his ear. He let his fingers fondle the smooth white cylinder, before stuffing his hands in his pocket. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought that doing so would split the item in half, spilling the tobacco contents all in his pocket. He cursed softly to himself and pulled out the cloth lining, swatting at it clumsily. Beast Boy snickered, but it was short-lived when he realized Raven was doing the same. Her laugh, however, wasn't evilly pointed at the goth boy's expense as his was.  
  
She held out a glowing black hand as her eyes flashed that familiar white, and the tiny pieces of brown were encased in energy and floated upward of their own accord. They hovered in the air momentarily, before shooting out towards the ocean and out of view. Carden examined his now-clean pocket and stuffed it back into his pants, giving Raven a thankful smile.  
  
"You just laughed, didn't you?" he asked slyly, taking a step towards her. Raven's glance shot sideways and away from him as she uncomfortably shifted her weight from foot to foot. Beast Boy's jaw dropped and he viciously shook his head from side to side.  
  
"No no NO! Raven, c'mon don't start to like him again! You know he's a jerk! GO WITH THAT!" he violently whispered. She didn't hear him, and instead gazed up at Carden with an extremely uncharacteristic blush. "STOP DOING THAT!" he mentally shrieked. "OH, COME ON! WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!"  
  
Carden leaned in once again so his face drifted only a few inches away from hers. She drew a gasp and pulled her hood up as a nearby bench melted slightly. "So...are we cool?"  
  
Raven was skeptical. She was never one to give away her trust easily. How could she be expected to forgive him so quickly? It would take him a while to win her back over, wouldn't it?  
  
There was something about him that made her feel...special. Her animosity towards him suddenly melted away. She internally slapped herself; this WASN'T supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to be wooed with a smile and a cute accident. _('There's that stupid word again! I must make a mental note to permanently remove it from my vocabulary.')_ What was wrong with her?  
  
With a sigh, she reluctantly let out a drawn out "Yeaaaaah." He grinned and opened his arms as if he was going to embrace her, but she held up a hand to block him. "You still can't touch me." she ordered coldly, warding him off from any more displays of affection. He bore his palms in innocence and took a step back.  
  
"Fine by me. So, you still up for a movie?" She swiftly nodded, and proceeded in the direction of the theatre. Carden smirked to himself, winning Raven back over was easier than he thought. He laughed haughtily and made a motion to leave, but something struck him in the back of the head. Hard. He visibly winced at the pain and raised a hand to the wound out of instinct, and turned to find the culprit. His narrowed eyes scanned the scene, and discovered a small acorn at his feet. He bent and picked up and looked over to the tree it may have fallen from. Instead of seeing a snot nosed kid with a slingshot (as he expected) Carden saw a squirrel, innocently nibbling on a piece of bark. He glared at the animal before going on his way again.  
  
His abruptly paused in his steps.  
  
Since when were squirrels green?

* * *

Raven stared up at the multiplex deep in thought. She brought a hand to her chin and wondered what she should see as she squinted against the blaring brightness of the marquee. Her choices were limited; the movies showing were either slap-stick comedies or lacking-in-the-law-of-physics action, neither of which exactly appealed to her.  
  
A palm grazed across the small of her back, jolting her out of her mind and causing her to jump a little in surprise. Raven's head swiveled about her neck as she searched for whoever DARED to touch her. Amethyst eyes met black, and were quickly narrowed as she met her culprit. A dry laugh escaped Carden's dull lips. Raven crossed her arms once again, glaring menacingly at him. She was agitated, but since technically he didn't show any PDA and was merely greeting her, she couldn't blast him into oblivion. Plus, he was paying.  
  
"So, what do you want to see? _'The Thing That Ate San Francisco,'_ or _'New York, New AHHH!!!'_"  
  
Raven visibly cringed; she had been avoiding horror flicks since her _'Wicked Scary'_ incident. Who would have thought the Goth Princess would spook so easily? Her eyes darted apprehensively between the two colorful posters. One depicted a pair of slimy hands holding up the Golden Gate Bridge sandwiched by two slices of bread. The other showed the Statue of Liberty with a healthy chunk of her side missing. Her expression had taken on one of horror, and she clutched her torch to her chest protectively. Raven audibly gulped and bit her lower lip. If given the option, she'd rather NOT pee her pants.  
  
"Uh..." she began, seeking for another alternative. Her dark eyes found salvation when she spotted another poster closer to the door. This one portrayed a young couple, presumably European, holding each other seductively beneath a glowing spotlight. The girl had been dipped, her leg raised and pointed in the air, and her partner balanced her with his strong arms. It appeared as if then had just concluded a sultry dance number.  
  
Raven breathed a sigh that was a meld of relief and defeat; sure, she loathed romance films with a passion, but anything was better than _'It Came From Milwaukee...and KILLED!!!'_  
  
"Actually," she stated slowly, trying her best not to look suspicious. "I was thinking we could see that." She pointed to the respective poster and Carden's exposed eyebrow flickered up in shock.  
  
"Really? Y-You wanna see _that_? His disappointment was evident in his voice and Raven suppressed a smirk as she nodded in the affirmative. Carden's face twisted in thought as he hunted for a good excuse. "But....it's....FOREIGN! And neither of us knows Portuguese!"  
  
Raven's eyes hooded over in irritation. "We don't HAVE to do anything. I have no problem just going home." She hovered in the air to illustrate her point, but Carden snagged her wrist and pulled her down.  
  
"No, don't do that." He sighed, and offered a small smile. "I'm sorry. Hey, we don't I get the tickets and you go wait inside." His voice dripped with feigned sincerity, but Raven bought it nonetheless and disappeared into the deserted theatre. Carden let his eyes explore her backside for a moment or two before retrieving a crumpled twenty dollar bill from his back pocket. He smoothed it out and set it on the ticket booth's counter, sliding it under the glass to the cashier.  
  
The boy had inadvertently heard Carden and Raven's entire conversation, and fetched the tickets without delay. He accumulated the change as he glanced back at the cloaked girl, who was politely dealing with a rabid fan of hers.  
  
"Cute girl." he murmured to the goth, recounting the bills before meeting his customer's eyes. "Friend of yours?"  
  
"A Titan." Carden spoke with an air of boastfulness, like she was some type of rare trading card as opposed to a girl. The boy's eyes widened in astonishment.  
  
"_Really_." He said, genuinely impressed. "Raven, right? Huh, she never struck me as the dating type."  
  
"Yeah, well, we're not exactly dating. In fact, between you and me," he gestured him to lean in closer and spoke in a hush. "I don't really have any intention in _dating_ her."  
  
An eyebrow lifted in suspicion. "Then why are you taking her out?" Carden flicked his hair out of his eye, only to have it fall back into place.  
  
"To get her to trust me."  
  
"And after that?"  
  
Carden's thin lips curled up in an awful, knowing grin. "I think you know what happens after that." He began to laugh, wiggling his eyebrows and nodding suggestively. The boy joined him meekly and slipped the change accompanied with the two tickets back under the window.  
  
"Enjoy the show." he said curtly, desperate the end the conversation. Carden muttered a thanks and met up with the telepath inside, missing the look of disgust the cashier shot him.  
  
Across the street, a small green dog crouched next to a parking meter gasped, then growled. He had heard the entire thing.  
  
"I knew it. I KNEW it! That bum is just using Rae to get some ass! That- That _JERK_! And she doesn't even know! I have to stop him!" He leapt up into the air, reemerging from the darkness as a bird and soared gracefully towards the entrance.

* * *

Starfire giggled as Robin's arm managed to loop its way though hers and she leaned her head onto his shoulder as they walked. This resulted in a streak of crimson running across his nose, to which Starfire laughed even more.  
  
"You really are adorable when the blood rushed to your face." she whispered, causing his cheeks to flush deeply. Starfire beamed and raised a hand to ruffle his ebony locks. He chuckled and pulled her in closer.  
  
"Well, I try." he responded, resting his hand in the bend between her forearm and her bicep. His brow then furrowed with confusion as he looked her up and down. "Hey, since when am I taller than you?"  
  
Starfire glanced up, and then realized she was looking UP at Robin. She raised her eyebrows slightly at the thought. "I...do not know..." She quickly dismissed the idea and returned to her previous position. "It matters not."  
  
Robin smiled down at her, gently rubbing her arm affectionately. Starfire laughed a little, and brought her beverage up to her mouth to drink. Her full lips sucked unmercifully on the straw, and for the first time in his life, Robin found himself envying a piece of plastic. She peaked open a previously closed eye and pulled the drink away, smiling.  
  
"You are certain you do not want a sip of my Banana and Liver Smoothie?" Starfire asked, holding the concoction just beneath Robin's nose. He was repulsed by the idea of the combination-that-should-not-exist, the scent alone made him want to vomit. He held his breath and clenched his teeth, forcing a grin on his otherwise horrified face.  
  
"Y-Yeah Star. I'm pretty full anyway." He patted his stomach, and mentally sighed in relief when she took it away.  
  
"May yourself be suited." she said with a shrug, and resumed drinking it. Robin winced a little as he watched her guzzle it down.  
  
"And I'm gonna be kissing her later." he thought mournfully. "Note to self- Give Star gum."  
  
He somehow managed to dismiss the event and authentically smiled at his girlfriend. "So," he said, drawing her attention. "I picked where we ate, it's only fair you pick what we do next."  
  
Starfire's gaze thoughtfully traveled to the side, before shooting back to him with an excited gleam. "I believe a venture to the cinema would be most enjoyable!" she exclaimed, her voice unknowingly moving up in volume. Robin laughed and agreed.  
  
"Alright, the movies sound fun. There's a theatre right over there, what do you want to see?"  
  
Starfire's pretty face was bright with pleasure, and she turned quickly to the glowing marquee on the opposite end of the street. Suddenly, she paled, and the smoothie she held slipped from her now-slack grip.  
  
"How common are green sparrows on this planet?" she questioned, her voice soft with fear. Robin rested a lone finger pensively on his jaw.  
  
"I don't think I've heard of it. Is that the one starring Adam Sandler?"  
  
"NO Robin!" she practically shouted. Her hand flew to his face and she clutched his cheeks with her thumb and remaining fingers. The force caused his lips to purse out comically. "I meant LOOK!" Starfire pushed his head in the direction she was facing, and immediately Robin saw the cause of alarm. He watched disbelievingly as a bird, which was definitely a distinct shade of emerald, fluttered towards the theatre behind a tall, goth boy. Starfire's hand dropped back to her side, and Robin turned towards her, his jaw past his knees.  
  
"He wouldn't."  
  
"He could not."  
  
They watched as the bird drifted up for a moment, before shooting back down and into the open door the boy was holding. Robin and Starfire exchanged glances.  
  
"He did." they said in unison. Without another word, they jumped off the curb hand in hand in a mad rush to stop their deranged friend.

* * *

Beast Boy was sure to float just behind Carden and Raven, now as a mosquito. If he were any bigger, he would be detected and his night would be over, as well as his life. Plus, he needed to make sure he could slip into the room without having to reopen the door. He glared down at Carden for the 8 millionth time that night. As tempted as he was to sting him and leave a very _VERY_ nasty bump, he decided against it. The last thing he needed was attention.  
  
Carden held the theatre door open for Raven, acting as if he were the perfect gentleman. Beast Boy gagged and fluttered just after his head. The dark boy didn't notice, and the thick door closed behind the three with a click.  
  
Bulls eye.  
  
Beast Boy zipped to the last row and landed softly on one of the seats. The movie had already started, and the theatre was completely empty. Raven settled down into the cushion and Carden followed suit, both of them completely unaware that Beast Boy was only 7 rows behind them. For the first time that evening, Beast Boy shifted back to his human form, tightly clasping the seat in front of him. He gritted his teeth and let a deep growl roll from his throat. He drew a silent breath, and changed to a rat, skittering up one row before reverting to a human.  
  
Raven had this thing where she HAD to sit in the middle of the theatre. Not even just the middle a random row, she had to be in the direct center of everything. She didn't know why. It was a mental thing. She leaned back against the seat, ignoring the nagging feeling in the back of her head that told her how many germs were there. She was fully intent on enjoying the movie, until she heard some annoyed fidgeting beside her.  
  
"What?" she asked, irritated. He scoffed.  
  
"How am I supposed to know what they're saying?! It's a different language!"  
  
She wanted to slap herself. She pointed indifferently at the screen. "See those little white squiggles? They're called subtitles. Read them, that is, assuming you _can _read." Her tone was full of ice, and he immediately shut up. She propped an elbow up on the armrest and cradled her cheek in her palm, wishing the night would move faster.  
  
Beast Boy was 3 rows behind them now. In the back of his mind he was screaming in protest, and with reason. He had no idea what he was doing. The original plan was to just observe from a distance all night, yet he now found himself closing the gap rather quickly. He didn't even fully know what he was going to do when he reached them, he just KNEW he had to get Raven out of there. Fast. He just wanted her to be safe. 2 rows now. No turning back.  
  
The movie was surprisingly good. Instead of a plotless romance film like Raven had expected, it turned out that the tango dancing that frequently appeared was a allegory to life. The movie was very intellectual, and Raven smiled. She was enjoying this.  
  
Suddenly she felt a drastic spike in her emotional energy field. **_Jealousy. Concern. Guilt. Love._** They flooded into her like a tidal wave, and their force was so powerful that Raven was pressed flat against her chair, gasping for air and squeezing the life out of the armrests. She slammed her eyes shut and tried to even her breathing, thrusting away the influx of feeling. With concentration, they dispersed, and she felt her body return to normal.  
  
What was THAT?! Somebody's emotions were running so high that she could feel it with them. It was a rare power that Raven seldom used, it was like a sense of premonition. The person in question had been building those emotions for some time, and it seemed that they had climaxed they were strong enough for her to perceive. That meant...someone else was there.  
  
She stole a glance backwards, and found nothing. Suspicious and slightly frightened, she turned back around. Carden peered over with actual concern.  
  
"Hey, you ok?" he asked quietly.  
  
Raven took a small, quick breath of air; the tingling sensation the emotions imprinted on her had not left yet. Whoever was following her was still there. Ok, she was a little scared, but she just chalked it up to the creepy fan in the lobby from before. Yeah, that's it. Must be him.  
  
"Yeah." she finally replied, and cautiously settled back in her seat.  
  
He. Was. Right. Behind. Her.  
  
She knew he was there. Or she knew someone else was there. She almost caught him, if he hadn't ducked she would have seen. He was getting anxious now, scared even. His plan had been to beat the beJebus out of Carden and explain to Raven later. Sure she would be pissed knowing he followed her, but once she found out how much he cared about her and Carden's actual intentions, she would rejoice and welcome him with open arms and then date him. Maybe she'd even bake him a cake. He smiled at the thought.  
  
This was the moment. He straightened his back to make himself as tall as he could and raised his arms high above his head. He exposed his fangs and hissed slightly, his eyes slim with anger. This was it. Carden was dead.  
  
A hand clamped over his mouth. Hard. A strong arm looped around his waist as another hand snagged the back of his shirt. Before he realized what was going on, he found himself soaring at impossibly speeds upward and out the door. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think. All he could do was watch as Raven grew further and further away.  
  
This time both Raven and Carden whipped back around to see what had caused the sudden noise. Nothing was there. All that they saw was the swinging door of the theatre letting light in and blocking it out over and over before finally clicking shut again. They exchanged a confused glance, shrugged, and resumed watching the movie.  
  
Beast Boy landed on the cement with a thud. His captor had dropped him with great force, and he moaned in pain. But his cries were muffled by the hand that still was attached to his mouth. He glared at him, but the present light now made a fact clearly visible. The hand was covered in a glove. A bright green glove.

Uh oh.

His eyes were round in fear as it released him, and Robin stood to join the hovering Starfire. They both crossed their arms and stared down at him in shame and anger. Mostly anger. This was bad.  
  
"Uh...hi?" he asked meekly. Starfire's eyes flashed their eerie emerald and she cracked her knuckles. Robin leaned in towards the boy threateningly, shaking his head slowly.  
  
"You...are in A LOT of trouble."

* * *

"Ow ow ow ow ow ow OW-WA!!!!"  
  
The trek home had been less than pleasant. Starfire did not trust Beast Boy to keep up with them, thinking he would fly off and hide from their wrath. This, of course, was totally true. So instead of him morphing, he was forced to stay in human form as she dragged him by the ear all the way back to the Tower. And she WALKED.  
  
The couple reached the Tower and stormed into the living room, with Beast Boy (literally) in tow. Starfire had been using what she called 'The Tamaranian Grip of Bad-ness' with was like a combination of a clam slamming shut on you and a tom of bricks landing. On your ear. And it really hurt.  
  
The living room was deserted, since Cyborg had left to charge for the night. Beast Boy had been rocking in a fetal position for the last 5 minutes, groaning softly to himself. In on gruff motion, Starfire yanked him up to eye level, causing him to squeal in pain.  
  
"STAR! That really hurts! I only get two ears, you know!" he whined.  
  
"Would you like me to perform the procedure on the other ear?" she asked with an uncharacteristic fury in her voice. The pulling sensation was killing him, any long and his ear would rip off.  
  
"NO! Please don't do that! I'll do anything!"  
  
"Then if I release you, will you explain why you intruded on Raven's privacy?" Her long feminine nails dug deeper into the cartilage and twisted it into a position which ears should not be in. Beast Boy screamed.  
  
"AHHHHH OK!! OK I PROMISE!! JUST PLEEEASE LET ME GO!!!" With a huff, she dropped him to the ground, and he squeaked in relief as he rubbing his throbbing appendage, whimpering softly. Starfire watched him with a glower, before releasing a quiet giggle.  
  
"Hehe, if we were in prison, you would be my bitch."  
  
Beast Boy gawked in surprise, his eyes wide and his mouth agape. Robin stumbled backwards a little in shock, but regained himself and looked her over in confusion.  
  
"Starfire, WHERE did you learn that?!" he spoke as if he were speaking to his daughter as opposed to his girlfriend. Starfire locked her hands behind her back and tilted her head to one side, letting her gaze explore the ceiling innocently.  
  
"HBO." she replied sweetly, and after another moment of pure astonishment, Robin shook his head and resumed glaring at Beast Boy.  
  
"Back to you. What possibly possessed you to stalk Raven and her date?! Not to mention ruin our night out." This seemed to register with Star, because once she heard it she gave up to cute act and was once again mad. Beast Boy shifted uncomfortably under their stares.  
  
"I-I just...look! I had to do it! That guy is a total creep-"  
  
"Be that as it may, it does not give you permission to spy on friend Raven! You have broken the laws of friendship!"  
  
"Not to mention the laws of the state." Robin added. Beast Boy sputtered, flabbergasted.  
  
"I-I just, I thought maybe that if I followed her I could see what was so great about this guy and...make Raven like me. It's no different than what we did this afternoon!" Starfire lifted an eyebrow.  
  
"What was done this afternoon?" She asked. Robin opened a mouth to answer, but was cut off by the shape shifter.  
  
"We went into Rae's room and took a book! Robin said we'd be able to really get into her head and I could win her over!" Robin slapped his forehead.  
  
"That's completely different! We were snooping for clues to AID you! We weren't completely disregarding Raven's feelings!"  
  
"Hey! Last I checked you couldn't search without reasonable cause! That's still breaking the law!"  
  
"YOU were the reasonable cause, you idiot! You wanted my help and I gave it to you! I thought you'd be smart enough to figure out what to do with the stuff I handed to you! Honestly, spying on a fellow member? You're lucky I don't suspend your ass."  
  
Beast Boy folded his arms over his chest, knowing he was defeated. He grimaced at the floor and muttered to himself. "You're such a hypocrite." Robin caught this.  
  
"What did you say?" he asked, his tone getting increasingly frightening. Beast Boy stared up at him with fire in his eyes.  
  
"You heard me! I called you a hypocrite! You say it's wrong to spy on fellow members of the team but that doesn't stop you! I mean, look at all the times you watched Star chang-"Starfire raised her eyebrows and blinked in surprise as the rest of the changeling's sentence was cut off by a swift slam of Robin's hand closing his mouth. He hurriedly led the boy out of the room, his face now very, VERY red.  
  
"Okwellthat'sallwehavetosayyoudobetternowandneverbringthatupagainandhaveanic enightokbye!"  
  
And he threw him down the hall, panting in apprehensiveness. He sighed a little in relief and prepared to head off to bed.  
  
"Ro-bin." An icy voice cut through the air, and he froze in fear. Slowly he turned backwards, where he saw Starfire watching him with narrow glowing green eyes. One arm was folded across her stomach and she used that hand to cradle her opposite elbow. That arm was held up, and her hand was twisted in an awkward position as a flashing energy orb took form in her palm. She drew a breath, and leaned the starbolt in the Boy Wonder's direction.  
  
"What was the rest of Beast Boy's sentence?"  
  
_YAY it's done! Despite all my poopy computer's problems! Well, looks like BB got off pretty easy. At least he's not dead. But will he last? Dun Dun Duuuuun. So, as always, please review. They're like cookies rolled in chocolate. Thanks again!_


	7. When Boredom Works in your Favor

(Oo Wow! So many reviews! At this rate it's quite possible it can break 300! Thank you guys so much!! Oh, and you'll notice the author's notes this chapter are not italicized. It seems the site is experiencing problems, so all codes are not working. So things that should be bolded or underlined or italicized are not, and that's why the AN are in parenthesis. I apologize, and I hope it's fixed soon. One last thing, I will be going away on the 15th for a week and will not have access to a computer, so just a heads up now. Anyway, here's chapter seven!! )

Raven walked into the common room with a book hooked under her right arm. It had been an average morning; Beast Boy and Cyborg engaged in the tireless 'Meat vs. Tofu' debate, which lead to her eating cereal. By the time the shouting match over what video game to play had ensued, Robin and Starfire emerged from their respective rooms. Robin had apparently done something to aggravate Star the previous night, and he was now on his knees, begging her to speak to him again. Raven found this event very entertaining, and sent Star a few bemused smirks telling her to keep it going as long as possible.

Eventually Starfire complied with Robin's pleas, but only if he agreed to eat entire bowl of a concoction she called 'Forgiveness Pudding.' He reluctantly ate the whole thing (but not without makes a few ugly faces with each spoonful) and after Star confirmed that she did indeed forgive him, he rushed to the bathroom and didn't surface for quite some time. (Little did Robin know that the entire ritual had been formulated in Star's head beforehand, and she was merely testing to see if he would honestly consume whatever she threw in that ill-fated bowl.)

Around noon there was a disturbance downtown that needed to be attended to. It took some time, but the team successfully managed to clear up the whole debacle before returning to the tower. Raven retired to her room with a cup of tea, where she showered and meditated for a few hours.

And that's where she found herself now, early evening in the empty common room. She sighed somewhat contently; at least it was peaceful, she could read with no disruptions. The tranquil silence was broken by an annoyed gruff in the center of the room. Raven raised an eyebrow and leaned in to get a better view, balancing her forearms on the back of the couch. She found Beast Boy, lying unceremoniously on the floor with both arms out at their full length and legs locked together in a straight line. He looked like he was on a crucifix, the martyr for boredom.

"Hey Raven." he said after a second. She drew back a little, squinting slightly. His eyes were locked on the ceiling and she was out of his peripheral vision, how did he know she was there? He rolled over on his stomach so that he faced her, and grinned.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked, feeling gravity pull her head to one side. Beast Boy tapped a finger on his nose proudly.

"Keen animal senses, they kinda come with the powers. I could smell you." She rolled her shoulders back and felt her lips part, blinking a few times too many over her faintly widened eyes.

"You know how I smell?" she questioned in a half whisper. Beast Boy shrugged dismissively, not sensing the hope weaved into her question.

"I know how everyone in the Tower smells. It's linked to memory, so naturally it stays imprinted in my head."

Raven felt the whole of her body sink a little as she slowly released the air that she had been using to hold up her chest. Her gaze moved downward dejectedly ad she used her free hand to fiddle with her belt. She didn't know why she was so disappointed; she didn't even know why she had gotten so excited over such a trivial thing. She just felt...flattered. Flattered that someone knew something about her and only her. For a moment, she felt special.

"Oh." she muttered, and her previous thoughts were evident in her tone of voice. Beast Boy glanced up, confused by ol grumpy's shift in moods. He knew it was something he did (9 times out of 10 most problems were his fault) and immediately felt guilty.

"It's nice, though." The words fell out of his mouth involuntarily, and he suppressed the urge to slap his hand to his mouth in shock. Raven's gaze lingered on him again, though this time her eyes were fused with confusion.

"What?" He felt himself flush a bit, and began tracing a small circle on the rug with his finger.

"You're scent. It's nice. It's hard to describe, but it suits you well. It's pretty"

His eyes wandered upward, expecting to receive a full-on death glare from the lavender haired beauty. What he got was...less than he expected. Raven had drawn her shoulders up and lowered her neck a little, giving her the appearance of a frightened turtle. Her arms were crossed over her book, which she tightly hugged to her chest, and her chin rested softly just on the top of the binding. But most astonishing of all, she was blushing. A thin, delicate layer of pink tinted her pale cheeks.

She was BLUSHING.

Beast Boy grinned. She looked adorable like that, like a lost child on their first day of school. Raven's cloak fell back over her shoulders, and she coughed nervously.

"Oh. Well, thank you."

They stood in silence for a moment longer, before Raven finally broke from her shy trance and resumed her emotionless front. She floated over the couch and settled down comfortably, her feet tucked underneath her, and she pealed open her book and tried to read. Beast Boy huffed another sigh impatiently and flipped over to his original position on his back.

So they stayed there. In complete silence.

For 30. Long. Seconds.

Raven found herself read the same sentence over and over. Truth be told, she was commanding herself to even look at the page. He mind kept slipping away to other things. The thoughts were bothersome, so she fixated her eyes on a specific spot in the book and tried to sort them.

This whole day Raven hadn't been herself. Her head was a jumble of thoughts and daydreams and silly ideas and it was bleeding into her actions. This morning she'd let her mind wander so far that by the time she regained her senses she realized that her bowl of cereal was overflowing with milk, and the carton she held in her hand was nearly empty. She was embarrassed to say the least, but luckily Beast Boy gave her a comforting smile and wiped the mess up for her. He even offered her some of his soy milk, since she'd literally drained the entire stash of whole milk. She smiled slightly at that memory.

THAT was the other thing. Ever since last night, Raven had felt this weird... pull towards the changeling, like a magnet to metal. Normally she would want to avoid him at all costs, but suddenly, she wanted to be around him, to be in the same room as him, even if only for a few moments. He made her feel different from everyone else, like she was the only girl in the world.

'Whoa! Calm down! It sounds like I'm in love with the boy! Ok, let's try to rationalize this...'

Aside from Starfire, Beast Boy was the only person she would consider as her best friend. Sure, she was close to Robin and Cyborg in other ways, but with Beast Boy she just clicked. She would never admit it, but she valued his friendship above anything else. She kept all of this locked away, because (aside from Cyborg having blackmail material on her for years to come) she knew that such a feeling towards anyone would only cause them pain, and her. She hid behind a mask of animosity so he would never know how much she really admired him.

But what caused the sudden reflection on the green elf? She thought back to Carden, frowning a bit. Their night out had been...less than stellar. Even at the beginning before all the chaos (and before she met Beats, she added with a blush) her thoughts lingered on her teammate and what he was doing. They must have been linked somehow.

'That's it. You're upset that your time with Carden wasn't as fun as you expected, and so you're attaching yourself to the nearest male counterpart, Beast Boy. You think you're attracted to him, when really you're just replacing him with Carden. That way, having fun with Beast Boy makes up for the brooding night out with Carden. So you don't love him. You're attracted in the relationship sense to Carden, and you love Beast Boy as a friend. There. Simple explanation.'

She leaned back into the seat with a pleased sigh, satisfied with her thought. Although there was a slight tug in her stomach that told her it was wrong, she ignored it, and was finally able to read again. The triumph was short lived, as Beast Boy began to let out a series of loud, annoyed moans from his position on the floor. She looked up briefly, glared at him a bit, and resumed reading.

Beast Boy was going mad in the silence, and in the lack of attention. He had been moaning for some time trying to get Raven's attention, but it didn't seem to work. This was insane; the girl he was crazy about was no less than 4 feet away from him, and they weren't even looking at each other! He'd just found the ability to speak to her again, why weren't they talking?! He couldn't initialize the conversation, it would be too suspicious, and so he let each of his groans get progressively louder and longer in hopes to provoke her.

"Ugggghhn....Ugggggggghhhhn....uuuuuugggggggggggghhhhhnnnn.....UUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHNNNN!!"

"WHAT is wrong with you?" she snapped, sealing her book shut and placing it in her lap. Beast Boy smirked. Bingo. He banged his head into the floor, playing up his extreme restlessness.

"I'm BORED! There's nothing to do in this Tower!" Raven rolled her eyes, annoyed.

'Whining little whelp.'

"Why don't you go find Cyborg and bother him?" she said, reopening her book and attempting to read. Beast Boy rolled back over so her faced her and dropped his cheeks into his propped up elbows. He shook his head in the negative.

"Not here. He ran off to pick up some stuff downtown while you were in your room. Hasn't been back for a few hours." She growled softly, tightening her hold on her book.

"Well, why don't you go talk to Robin? Or Star? They must be somewhere around here." She absently turned the page of her novel, her eyes quickly scanning over the words.

"Another no-go. They disappeared a while ago, said they were going for a," he raised his head up so his hands were free, and he formed air quotes around the next word, "'walk.' I don't expect them back for some time." His chin dropped back into his open palms, and tilted to the side as he studied her. She sighed, exasperated, and looked at him over her book. He grinned impishly and leaned forward, somersaulting in her direction until his feet hit the couch. He shook his head, regained himself, and sat up so he was just about eye level with her knees. He threw his arms out to the side and puffed out his chest, beaming like a mad man.

Raven lowered her chin and lifted her eyebrows, blinking slowly a few times to illustrate how unimpressed she was by his trick. Beast Boy's smile faltered and one of his eyes slimmed a little in semi thought.

"Ta-da?" he asked meekly, but was only answered with a scoff and a curt turn. Beast Boy frowned, momentarily disappointed, but recomposed with a smile and stood up, using the couch as an aid. Dusting himself off, he ambled slowly around Raven so he once again facing her.

"So...whatcha reading?" he questioned curiously, bending over so he could view the title on the front cover. She slammed it into her lap before he could get a glimpse and stared him down with rage glinting in her eyes.

"Aren't you done annoying me yet? She responded evenly, and his ears twitched slightly.

"I'm just being friendly..." he weakly defended.

"You wanna be friendly? Leave me alone and let me read my book." Her tone was icy and filled with vexation and anger, and it cut through Beast Boy's happy mien like a knife.

"I was just making conversation-"

"Well maybe I don't want to HAVE a conversation!" She bit back, and her fierce words echoed in the otherwise silent tower. Her teeth were gritted threateningly and she awaited his equally harsh reply.

There was no reply. His jaw was slack, his mouth now hanging agape. His ears folded over and drooped dejectedly down to the crook of his neck. He had straightened up and taken a small step away from her, now casting a shadow over her seated form. His eyes looked awful; they were sunken and dark with misery. They refused to meet her and instead studied the floor as they slowly clouded over. His eyelids hooded halfway over the olive gems. He closed his mouth and feebly nodded, walking away from her with slumped shoulder and dragging feet.

Raven felt her hear wrench as she watched him leave, and her enraged expression melted away with all the annoyance she previously felt for him.

'Oh great. Now I feel guilty.'

Her eyes darted between the boy and the novel in her lap, and she indecisively bit her lower lip as she weighed the options. She closed her eyes, the remorse piled down on her mercilessly, and she heaved a defeated sigh.

"A Farewell to Arms."

Beast Boy paused and turned back to face her, perplexity etched in his green features. "Huh?" he asked with a raised eyebrow. She rolled her eyes and held up the paperback, rapping her fingers on the title printed in gold lettering.

"A Farewell to Arms. You wanted the name of the book and I told you. Now can you stop with the mopey act and let me be?" her voice didn't match her words, it was softer and concerned. Beast Boy smiled, she felt bad that she hurt his feelings. Aw. Then it hit him.

"Wait, A Farewell to Arms? By Ernest Hemingway?" he queried, holding a palm out in a 'stop' signal. Raven slowly nodded as her brow knitted.

"Yeeees." she drawled, and Beast Boy beamed. His entire face lit up in excitement, and Raven was secretly thankful he wasn't upset anymore. He suddenly sped towards her and leapt over the armrest of the couch, sliding on his knees before screeching to a halt inches in front of her. She winced and drew back a little when he got to close, but he did not touch her, and she leaned back in, interested on what caused such happiness.

"This is like, my favorite book ever!" She nearly fell to the ground in shock, and her expression mirrored that.

"You read it?" she asked tonelessly, and his head nodded furiously. She pulled the book up so he was blocked from her view. "Why do I doubt that?"

Beast Boy squeaked in surprise, and wagged his arms out wildly at the sides as he tried to argue. "But I did read it! Last Summer! It's about an American soldier fighting World War I in the Italian army and he meets British nurse and they fall in love! I READ it! The guy's name was Henry and the girl was Catherine and she died at the end! I really did read it! Honest!"

Raven looked up, impassive as ever. Ok, maybe there was the extremely off-base chance that he did read it, but the events of their last literary conversation were still fresh in her mind. She thought the best plan was just to ignore him; she didn't feel like buying another teapot.

"Wonderful." she muttered, and turned a page. He scooted in closer and peered over her shoulder.

"Do you like it so far?"

"Mmm."

"Oh...that's good. It's a good book."

"Yep."

He sighed, her curt one word answers were getting him nowhere. He tottered back so he was supported by the back of the couch. Need a topic. Need a book topic. Need one now. He closed his eyes, letting the book's images his mind conjured up flash by. He really did read the book; he just needed to think of a part they could discuss. Catherine's death was too sad for him, and he didn't want to go into the intricacies of love with Raven of all people. He'd end up blurting something that would only lead to his embarrassment and possibly send him flying through a wall.

His eyes snapped open as it came to him. He sat back up and crossed his legs, tilting in a bit towards her.

"Have you found the symbolism yet? Hemingway's a pretty straightforward guy, so it's kinda hard to find." He mentally patted himself on the back for his brilliance. An eyebrow perked up from behind the binding.

"You mean how all the rain symbols doom?"

Ouch. He literally cringed at the cold, hard quality of her voice, and he knew her words had an alternate meaning. Nonetheless, he pressed on.

"Yeah, there's that...and there's the other thing."

NOW he had her interest. Steadily, she lowered the book until everything but her mouth was visible. Her features were intrigued on being proved wrong, but he had to approach the situation cautiously. If he were to be too blunt that wall across the room would suddenly be getting a lot closer.

"Other thing?" she stated unhurriedly, and both her eyebrows flickered up anxiously. Beast Boy inhaled and forced down his smile.

"Yeah. I'm surprised you didn't pick up on it. But it's not a reoccurring symbol, so it's understandable if you didn't see it. I didn't catch onto until the 3rd time I read-"

"Will you tell me what it is already?" she was impatient; he was only prolonging his news to annoy her. Beast Boy nervously scratched the back of his neck and smirked cutely out of the side of his mouth. Argh. His charm was enough to even soften her up, if only a little.

"It's Catherine's hair." he said finally, and she blinked, awaiting an explanation. "Well, you know that part when Henry is lying in bed and Catherine crawls up to him and lets her hair fall around his face?" She nodded. "Well, that's a symbol."

After a brief pause, Raven spoke. "Of?" Beast Boy hesitated, searching for the right words to describe his answer.

"It...It shows their isolation from the rest of the world. I mean, there's this huge war going on around them, but it doesn't matter because they're protected by something as delicate as hair." Slowly her book dropped to the floor, her full lips just barely parted. His voice became gentle and sweet as he spoke. "It showed that they were so in love, that nothing else mattered. They had each other and all the chaos, all the hate and anger that surrounded them was nothing. Their...bond...was so strong, that they could stay detached from everything and be together. Her hair sealed them in this blissful seclusion where they could stay...happy and in love and unaware of anything bad. I mean, they had each other...why would anything else matter anyway?"

Raven found herself taking in air in very large, forced breaths. She wet her lips and refused to pull her gaze away from Beast Boy's eyes. The jade orbs danced with brightly youthful happiness, and then Raven realized; everything he had just said came purely from the heart.

They said nothing else after that, because it wasn't necessary.

"Everyone may now continue functioning properly, for Cyborg has returned!"

A booming voice echoed through the tower, and the shock sent Beast Boy flying over the armrest and landing bottom first on the floor. Raven felt her cheeks heat up, and pulled up her hood to conceal her bright face. She scrambled for the novel and held it out in front of her, though now reading was the LAST thing on her mind.

Cyborg happily ambled into the living room, beaming in pride and dropping a few grocery bags inconsiderately to the floor. He smiled brightly at his friends, rolling back and forth on his heels.

"Y'all will never guess what happened to me! It ROCKS!" Beast Boy stood and brushed himself off, suddenly excited by the metal man's words.

"Dude! What is it?" Cyborg wagged a finger in the shape shifter's face.

"Uh uh uh! This news is too big to tell twice! The whole team's gotta be here! Where's Rob and Star?"

As if on cue, the aforementioned couple stumbled blindly into the room. Starfire's hair was a complete disaster zone and she shyly tried to tame it while simultaneously wiping at her lips. Robin was no better, his shirt was hanging off one of his shoulders and his mask was askew. He cleared his throat and did his best to sound nonchalant.

"Oh! Hello team! Well, yes, Star and I were just...out...doing...things. That did not involve me taking my shirt off!" He smiled, and she dropped her forehead into her palm and groaned. The rest of the Titans blinked, exchanged glances, before staring them down with hooded, no-nonsense eyes. Cyborg finally spoke.

"You were making out in the closet again, weren't you?"

"NO!" Starfire and Robin squeaked in unison. Their limbs were constricted at their sides and they gave each other a worried look. Cyborg rolled his eyes and pointed an accusing finger in the Boy Wonder's direction.

"That's a nice shade of lipstick for you, Rob. Makes you look pretty." Robin stared at him blankly before raising a gloved hand to the side of his face. He brought it down to view and chuckled nervously when he saw his fingertips were now caked in a pink, shiny substance. The stuff was all over his face, and ironically, all over Star's mouth. He flushed and tugged at his shirt.

"You...uh...wanted to say something, Cy?" He said meekly, but the robot took the bait either way. His face lit up and he continued his story.

"A'ight, so I was down at the mall picking up some things, when I ran into my friend Lynn-"

"Lynn?" Raven asked.

"Who is this Lynn you speak of?" Starfire chimed in. Cyborg waved them off dismissively.

"Just a friend of mine. Anyway-"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hold up! How come we never met this girl? Are you hiding a secret giiiirl-friend?" Beast Boy remarked slyly. To this Cyborg moaned.

"Look, we're not dating. She's just a pal of mine who happens to be of the female gender. And also," he crossed his arms defiantly and jutted out his lower lip. "I CAN have other friends besides you."

"But how come-"

"WILL YOU LET ME FINISH THE STORY?!" The metal man shouted. His deep, rich voice could be frightening when amplified, and after a moment of shell shock the remaining Titans nodded obediently. Cyborg smirked.

"Good. So, I ran into my friend Lynn, and we got to talking. Turns out, she's opening up a club downtown, and look what she gave me!" He fumbled through one of his non-existent pockets and finally produced 5 small slips of paper. "BOO-YAH! 5 VIP passes to the Grand Opening TO-NIGHT!" All the others (save for Raven) clamored animatedly.

"Awesome!" Beast Boy cried.

"Most glorious!" Starfire exclaimed as she clapped her hands.

"Sounds cool!" Robin remarked with a smile.

"Whoo hoo. I'm all a twitter." Raven mumbled monotonously. Cyborg glared at Raven briefly, which went unnoticed.

"So, when does the party start, Cy?" Robin asked, examining the slips closely.

"Not for a good two hours, so that gives us time to prep and get all prettiful." The last word was spoken in a falsetto, and he lifted a leg and batted his eyelashes femininely. Raven rolled her eyes and Starfire giggled.

"If that is the case, then I shall depart and partake in the act of cleansing myself. It shall give me ample time to prepare!" Starfire beamed, and disappeared down the hall. Robin subconsciously rubbed his cheek and turned back to the crew.

"I think I better shower too. Later." And he vanished as well. Cyborg grinned mischievously, and cupped his hands around his mouth to intensify the sound.

"Remember Robin, use separate showers!" A black plate then broke against the back of his head. He yelped in pain and rubbed the sore spot furiously, and turned with a glare to the goth sitting indifferently on the couch.

"Why do you always hit me?!" he cried, flailing his arms in the air.

"Why do you always make it so easy?" Raven replied without missing a beat, and casually turned the page of her book. Cyborg sent her one more look for good measure, then swiftly snatched up his bags and headed towards his own room.

"Such a gala event calls for gala attire! That means oil changes, bolt tightening, the works! I even got me a magnetic tie! This is gonna be great!" His voice faded into the darkness, leaving Beast Boy and Raven alone once again. They stayed there in uncomfortable silence for a while until Beast Boy coughed awkwardly.

"Well I-uh, better go get ready and...whatnot." She nodded, and he weakly waved a goodbye and headed to his own room. Raven found her gaze shifting back to him again, and a sound of protest escaped her throat involuntarily. He turned back to her, leaning against the doorframe. She mentally kicked herself.

'Crap, I have nothing to say....why did I call him back?'

Beast Boy impatiently raised an eyebrow, and Raven strained for a remark until she finally stumbled across one.

"What was the name of the nurse's aide who was a friend of Catherine?" Now at least she could catch him in his lie. His brow knitted as if it were the simplest question in the world.

"Helen Ferguson." he responded quickly, and with a nod he was gone. Raven's jaw was on the floor.

Oh my God. He READ it.

(I've just realized how long this story is gonna be. It was originally supposed to be 10 chapters, but by the way I have to keep splitting these for length reasons, it may double that. Wow. Long-ness. Not that I mind, of course =eats chocolate covered cookie= So you know the drill, please review and it makes me do the happy dance of joy. And no, I'm not below accepting bribes. =hoards cookies and runs away=)


	8. Something

_HAHA! Bribes galore! And after only a few days! Hmm, maybe I should vanish mysterious for 6 months again...-is beaten with sticks- KIDDING! KIDDING! Whew...ok, so best be pointing this out now. This chapter is in semi songfic format. The Titans are in a club, so I took the chorus...es...from a bunch of dance songs to give it more of a club-y feel. Then there's one full-length song, which is TOTALLY different than the others. That shall be explained at the end. Enjoy!_

_Oh yes, and I need to take this time to apologize to eventidespirit and The Ultimate Newbie (if he's reading this) for taking SO FREAKING LONG with chapter 2 of the mystery pairing fic. I've been distracted, and I know that isn't a good excuse, but I promise to get it done soon! _

Some time later, the Titans had hit the road and were speeding off to the party via T-Car. In the end, everyone ended up wearing their normal attire, save for the faux bowtie that clung to Cyborg's metallic exterior. Star adorned her usual perfume and lip-gloss and each of the boys emitted the faint scent of their respective colognes. Raven tended to stay away from all forms of cosmetics, except for MAYBE the occasional swipe of Chap Stick in the bitter winter. Since she had showered earlier that day and had not done any strenuous activities that would cause her to smell, Raven found it pointless to do it again. However, she ended up giving into her teenage insecurities, and lit some vanilla incense in her room when she returned there to read. It was the closest she would ever go to make-up, and she smiled slightly at the sweet, soft scent that now seeped off of her.

Raven watched the trees along the highway flash by her a little too quickly, and she hooked her chin in her palm. She had drawn the short straw in seating arrangements, and was sandwiched in the backseat between Starfire on her left and Beast Boy on her right. Robin sat comfortably in the passenger seat up front, and Cyborg was driving. The robot hybrid hit the blinker and promptly switched lanes, all the while expressing his excitement through his crazy ramblings. In his joy, he had slipped into using Ebonics, and so Robin was needed to act as translator to the confused Starfire.

"Awwww yeah this is going to be so tight! I can't wait to git in dere an' get jiggy wit it da night away!" There was a brief pause as Robin mentally translated, before he finally spoke.

"He says that it's going to be really cool and he can't wait to get there and dance." Starfire nodded in acknowledgement, and Beast Boy withheld a snicker. Cyborg continued to prattle on, but fortunately he had begun to use proper English once again.

"I can't wait for you guys to meet Lynn, she's awesome. But no jokes about us being an item, ok? We're not, and she's a very independent person. If she were to overhear you I'd get my ass handed to me on a silver platter." Robin smirked and kicked his feet up onto the dashboard.

"So, you're telling me I get my revenge for every crack about my sexuality, every innuendo about me and Star, every perverted sentence that ever escaped your mouth AND you get beat up for it? I don't see a downside." Cyborg's pupils grew tiny and he let out a high pitched gasp from his agape mouth. He released a hand from the wheel and swatted viciously at the Boy Wonder's knees, slapping them more times than necessary. Even after Robin angrily brought his feet down, the android's hand still flapped out in the air.

"That is _not_ a footrest! You coulda hurt my baby! You know how sensitive she is!" Beast Boy openly laughed, stealing a glance of the girl beside him. She looked less than amused and rolled her dark lavender eyes, obscured in the slightest by her trademark hood. He felt a little disheartened by her lack of emotion towards the funny event, and sank back into his seat.

'_Not that you could expect anything from her...she can't feel. What's the point in trying?'_

Cyborg had replaced his hand back on the wheel and continued to scold Robin, to which the ebony haired teen ignored.

"Listen, bro, she's really sweet and very special to me, and I don't want you hurting her, okay?" Robin crossed his arms and sunk into the seat.

"FINE. I won't say anything bad to Lynn."

"...I WAS TALKING ABOUT MY CAR!!!" There was another brief scuffle, until Cyborg's head whipped back, eyes looking through the back window, and he swore loudly. Starfire gasped and Robin opened his mouth to give him a severe tongue lashing, but the African American cut him off before he could even start.

"OOO-HH! Ya see what you made me do?! We missed the exit!" Cyborg readjusted the rearview mirror and tightened his seatbelt around his massive form. "Hope no one gets seasick!"

With a swift spin of the wheel, the car swung violently to the right, the force causing the vehicle to slide up on two wheels. The tires squealed endlessly in pain as they spiraled in a U formation, and several angry cars honked their horns in protest as they skidded to a halt to avoid an accident. Cyborg squinted against the dozens of blaring headlights but his look of determination never left his face.

Before he could stop it, Robin was flung against the door, his face and hands pressed immovably against the window. His cheek ballooned out on the glass like old gum on pavement. Starfire had screamed in fear and shock when Cyborg made his move, but was able to act quickly. One hand slammed upward into the ceiling of the car while the other was firmly pushing against the window on her left. Her feet had burrowed underneath Cyborg's seat and tightly locked themselves behind a metal bar they found. She used her brute alien strength to put pressure on all three areas, giving her a secure, strained position that gravity could not alter.

Unfortunately, Raven's reflexes were not as fast as Starfire's. The power of the turn and ripped her hood off her head, and she was thrown sideways as she braced herself. But strangely, when she found herself landing back, it wasn't into the cold, metallic door she had expected. Instead, it was something softer, and it grunted in pain when she hit it with the force she had. Slowly she peeked an eye open, only to have a blurred green image swim past her. Her other eye opened as the figure came into focus.

Beast Boy. Of course.

He had managed to twist his body so that his back collided with the door instead of his head. (A move Robin was now kicking himself for not thinking of.) Her head lolled against his stomach, her lilac hair spilling haphazardly all around him. The boy's eyes were closed, straining against the force of the car. Raven felt an arm loop around her slender waist, and she gave a gasp of surprise as another linked with it. She felt herself being pulled upward until she stopped once her head rested just below the shape shifter's shoulder. Suddenly it dawned on her;

'_He's trying to protect me...'_

The thought left her bewildered and it showed in her eyes. Before she realized what she was doing, Raven tightly grasped one of his hands out of pure fear. Whether said emotion was due to Cyborg's recklessness or the fact that she was secretly enjoying his arms around her, we shall never know. Beast Boy felt the tender touch and drew a curt breath of air, and his eyes snapped open. He looked down at her as if it were any other day, like it was just the two of them.

Raven had never been this closer to Beast Boy's eyes before. Instantly, she wished she had noticed them sooner. They were beautiful; two perfect jade stones with several other shades of emerald shimmering brightly. A few golden knives had stabbed into the otherwise lime orbs, and they left their tiny marks all about the spheres. They were genuine and inviting, kind and safe. They reminded her of going home to a warm, loving family after a long journey. At this point, all the air had been sucked out of her lungs. She couldn't think. She couldn't breathe. All she could do was stare up into those wonderful, pristine green eyes.

'_Wow...'_

"Hi." he whispered softly, smiling warmly that made Raven want to melt. Everything had stopped, at that moment he was the only person in the whole world. And it was wonderful.

"Hi." she meekly repeated after a long pause, and he laughed silently. Suddenly gravity wasn't the only thing keeping her pinned to him.

The car lurched ferociously to the left and landed with a loud thud, now riding comfortably back on 4 wheels. The strength of the land caused the car to bounce up, and the force caused Beast Boy to bang his head into the ceiling. He inadvertently tore his arms off Raven, and she was mentally disappointed. His neck snapped backwards and smacked the glass of the window, and he moaned in pain.

The car screeched as the tail end tilted dangerously to the side before straightening out once again and continuing down the correct road at a leisure pace. There was a long silence among the teens, but then Cyborg inhaled deeply and pumped a fist in the air.

"That...was...AWESOME!!"

Robin peeled his skin off of the glass and massaged the reddening spot on his temple. Normally he would have screamed at Cyborg for putting all of their lives in danger and completely disregarding the state driving laws, but at the moment he simply didn't have the energy.

"You know, you COULD have just gotten off at the next exit and turned around." the Boy Wonder growled menacingly. Cyborg flashed him a thousand watt smile.

"Yeah, but that wouldn't have been as fun, would it?"

Starfire undid herself from her braced position and wearily let her arms drop to the side. She sighed, exhausted, and her head fell to the headrest behind her as she combed her fingers through her auburn bangs.

"'Fun' is not quite the word I would have used to describe that situation." Robin's fingers explored the skin just above his hairline, where he found a small but growing bump. He traced it with his fingertips and glared at the robot beside him.

"If I have brain damage, you're paying for my medical bills." Cyborg laughed, never taking his eyes off the road, and turned smoothly down another dimly lit street.

"If I had to pay for everything that was wrong with you're head, my children's children's CHILDREN would be in debt." Naturally Robin was angered at this comment and loudly objected, beginning another argument between the two. Starfire briefly tried to quell the squabble, but when her efforts were snubbed, she sank back into her seat and closed her eyes, muttering something scornfully in her native tongue.

Raven was still lying across Beast Boy, though it was quite possible for her now to get up and resume sitting. But for some reason, she couldn't command her body to move. Not that she wanted to, mind you. She held her gaze with the changeling, both of them panting heavily as they labored for air.

"Rae?" he murmured airily, his breathing gradually slowing down. She couldn't bring herself to respond, she was too wrapped up in his eyes. She hung on his every word, and anxiously waited for him to speak again.

"...You can get off me now."

Reality slapped its bronze fingers hard across her cheek, and her eyes widened in realization. Oh GOD. What was she DOING?! She gasped and immediately sat up, blushing furiously as she fumbled for her hood. Eventually she found it and stared down disconsolately at the floor.

"Sorry." she timidly replied, and she missed his cheeks glow a distinct shade of red. The rest of the ride was spent in awkward silence.

---

They arrived about ten minutes later, and Cyborg parked the T-Car into a space conveniently out front. The Titans bypassed everyone who waited in between the velvet roping, but there were no objections. All of the people who were in line were fans of the group, and cheered excitedly as they passed. (Robin ended up having to walk on the far side because several screaming girls had attempted to rip off his clothing.) Beast Boy smiled cheekily and waved, lapping up all the attention he could get. Cyborg personally greeted a few people lining the velvet barrier with a handshake and a 'Hey, howya doin'?' Raven did her best to ignore the commotion. Many catcalls were made, mostly directed at Starfire. She flushed and Robin scowled, possessively lacing her hand in his own and protectively pulling her in close to him.

The teens reached the front of the line, where a large man dressed in a neat suit stood with crossed arms at the door, blocking anyone's entrance. Cyborg pushed in front on his friends and grinned at the man, although he received no response.

"Hey there, buddy! Hey, listen, I'm a friend of Lynn's...she owns the place? Yeah, she gave me these." His hand dug into his magical pocket which-really-is-not-there and whipped out the 5 tickets. The bouncer observed them, grunted a reply, and stepped aside, allowing them to pass. The Titans muttered their thanks, and happily entered the club.

The room was a bouncing enigma of sound and color. Bright lights streamed out every which way, constantly switching direction and swooping down over the dancers in the center of the floor. On the far side of the room was a marble-faced bar, where an antsy looking boy nervously wiped the countertop. Only non-alcoholic drinks were being served, being that the club was owned and operated by a minor (And she wouldn't touch the stuff with a 20 foot pole, as Cyborg noted aloud.) Adjacent to the bar was a mini-restaurant where a few girls in far-too-short skirts served appetizers. Above the scene, a DJ clad in dark sunglasses worked the turntables before a big screen TV that showed odd, vibrant shapes twisting and turning in sync with the music that was being played.

"This place looks awesome!" Beast Boy shouted over the blaring music, and Cyborg grinned.

"I told ya, didn't I? C'mon, let's go find a place to sit!"

"CY!" A sweet, melodious voice cut through the growing noise, causing all five titans to turn to the source. Instantly Cyborg's face lit up and he beamed as a girl broke through the crowd and sauntered towards them, her hips swaying suggestively as she walked. She was dark, but the tone of her skin was much lighter than Cyborg's. She wore her inky black hair in dozens of braids that fell just between her shoulder blades. A ruby red halter dress hugged her curves nicely and her high heels clicked against the wooden floor. Smiling, she waved at the crew, and Cyborg approached her with open arms. He engulfed her much smaller form in a tight embrace, and spun her in a small circle as she laughed.

Robin clenched his free hand into a fist and pretended to be experiencing severe inner turmoil. "Must....resist....urge...to....mock..." Starfire giggled and playfully slapped his arm. Cyborg eventually set the girl down in front of them and made a sweeping gesture to introduce her.

"Everyone, this is my friend Lynn. Lynn, this is everyone." There was a collection of 'Hello's' and the dark girl smiled sincerely.

"Nice to finally meet y'all." she said as she used a manicured finger to tuck a stray braid behind her ear. She raised her hands above her head to indicate the vast activities her club provided. "Feel free to do anything ya want! Drinks are to the right and food is to the left. I've already informed the staff that since you guys are honorary guests, everything is on the house! Go ahead and splurge, it's on me!" There was a clamor of thanks and Lynn beamed as she waved them off dismissively.

Starfire's enamored gaze lingered on the dancers in the center of the commotion, her eyes sparkling excitedly. Robin glanced over to see her staring, and smiled. He gave her hand a quick squeeze, and when he had gained her attention he raised his eyebrows and jerked his head in that direction. She grinned and nodded furiously, half dragging him to the dance floor.

"We're gonna go dance!" Robin called back to the gang before vanishing in a sea of people. Beast Boy laughed and turned his attention back to the amber eyed girl to his right. He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck and grinned impishly.

"So...got any tofu?" Lynn chuckled to herself and pointed towards the mini restaurant.

"Had to call a few dozen supermarkets, but I got it, per request from Cy. Go on, it's calling you." Beast Boy lit up like a Christmas tree and jetted off, where he was promptly given a menu and a reserved table. He ogled over the alternate-meat list drooling.

"So many tofu varieties...how can I ever choose?!"

Raven scanned the area quickly, before scoffing and crossing her arms firmly over her chest.

"I'm going to go find a dark corner to hide in." And she dissipated into the shadows. Lynn raised an eyebrow and turned to her mechanical counterpart.

"Well isn't she Little Miss Sunshine." Cyborg laughed and draped an arm around her slim shoulders.

"You're pretty quick, then again it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out Raven despises human interaction." Lynn grinned.

"I like your friends. They seem really nice."

"They are. And don't worry, I already told them not to mess around about us." Her smile suddenly became wry and suggestive.

"So they're not going to crack jokes all night?"

"Nope. I convinced them we're just friends and nothing else."

"...And of course they have no idea that we've been dating for six months?"

"Not a clue." She laughed harmoniously as he pulled her in tightly and planted a kiss on her forehead.

---

**_Hey mama, this that beat that make you groove, mama  
(hey) Get on the floor and move your booty mama  
(yaw) We the blast mastas blastin' up the jamma  
(hey) So shake your bambama, come on now mama  
Hey mama, this that beat that make you groove, mama  
(hey) Get on the floor and move your booty mama  
(yaw We the blast mastas blastin' up the jamma  
(la la la la la)_**

The dance floor was rimmed with tables and booths for weary dancers to rest in-between songs. After much searching, Raven was able to locate a large booth tucked in a corner of the building. The table was slightly elevated above the others, as were all the booths that lined the walls, so she had a full view of the entire scene. She rolled her eyes at the screams that erupted from the center of the hall when the new song started and folded her arms angrily over her stomach. Needless to say, she was NOT having a good time. The music was too loud, the food was skeptical, and the constant flashing lights had her believing that she had contracted epilepsy. Sighing, she dropped her elbow to the table top and laid her chin in her open palm, eyeing the dancers. Raven scoffed; she had never been one to dance, especially not as lewdly as some of the people were. Last time she had been at a party this 'pointless' (to quote herself) she had met Carden, and he made it briefly worthwhile. After a quick scan of the crowd, she realized there was no one of his...caliber...and she glared, frustrated. Absently she wondered where Beast Boy was.

"HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII RAVEN!"

She screamed bloody murder and leapt ten feet clear off her seat, her legs kicking wildly as she hung in the air. She slammed back into the seat, hard, and moaned in pain between her startled pants. Clutching a hand over her heart, she turned with a fierce glare to the mechanical man beside her, who was grinning childishly. She noticed Cyborg seemed to have a fascination with her ears, because she was the only victim of his point-blank shrieks. Repressing the urge to beat him senseless, she deepened her grimace and tenderly rubbed her ear.

"...A simple tap on the shoulder would have sufficed." The hybrid chuckled and leaned back into the seat, folding an arm over the headrest as he did so.

"So how ya doin, Rae? Having a good time?" He dismissed her aggravated demeanor. She rolled her beautiful violet crystals.

"Oh yeah. I'm, like, totally digging the scene. Mad props to you for find it, yo." She pounded a fist against her chest and he raised an eyebrow.

"You just combined valley girl with black guy, but I catch the sarcasm." He scooted in and lowered his voice in concern. "You don't like it here?" Raven realized that her friend was genuinely hurt by her statement; he had honestly wanted to impress everyone. She softened, but only in the slightest.

"No, I meant...well, it's not something I would normally do. It's nice, really. It's just not for me."

He understood and gave her a small smile, which she faintly returned. That was what was great about Cyborg; he knew exactly what she meant without her having to elaborate. The DJ switched the song, and several skirt clad girls squealed as they desperately tried to scrounge up available partners. Raven let her eyes slither back over to the dance floor, lazily skimming the crowd before she gasped in shock.

Towards the center of everything, she had found Robin and Starfire. Her back was pressed against his chest, one of her hands reaching behind her to tangle itself in his mess of charcoal hair. Her head lolled back on his shoulder, leaving her neck exposed, and Robin had buried the side of his face just above her collar bone. His arms were locked tightly around her slim waist, and their hips swayed together erotically to the beat of the music. Raven was honestly surprised to see such a sight.

_**Dip it low  
Pick it up slow  
Roll it all around  
Poke it out like your back broke  
Pop pop pop that thing  
Ima show you how to make your man say "Ooo"  
Dip it low  
Pick it up slow  
Roll it all around  
Poke it out like your back broke  
Pop pop pop that thing  
Ima show you how to make your man say "Ooo"**_

Cyborg caught the telepath's shocked expression and playfully punched her arm, arousing her from her trance.

"I take it you found Robin and Star."

She glanced back over at him, her eyebrows creasing together as she did.

"Are you sure he's not...taking advantage of her for doing that?" She asked suspiciously, and he laughed.

"Nah. Believe it or not, SHE was the one who suggested it." The shock literally pushed her back into the seat, but only slightly.

"Really?" He nodded.

"Yup. She saw the other couples doing and thought it was 'Most enjoyable!' And of course Robin was all too eager to comply."

Just them Lynn slid into the booth to join them, sporting a smile. Her braids were twisted back simply but elegantly off her neck, two of them framing her face. Cyborg beamed at her presence and slinked an arm around her slender form. Raven could only smirk to herself.

"Heeey. You guys enjoying yourselves?" she asked sweetly. Her voice was warm, like an alto blues singer at an old 1920's club. Cy grinned.

"'Course we are! And where have you been, missy? I haven't seen you all night!" Her shapely eyebrows lifted and she blinked like he was crazy.

"It's opening night in MY club, I've gotta make sure something doesn't short circuit or catch on fire or spontaneously combust and you expect me to be chained to your side the whole time?!"

"...But where are your shoes?" Her hand smacked him hard in the back of the head, and he yelped in pain.

"You try running up and down 3 flights of stairs in heels and tell me how YOUR feet feel!!" Raven held a hand to her mouth to hide her growing grin and turned to Lynn.

"I think I'm going to like you."

The dark girl laughed and Cyborg looked horrified.

"Aww man! Between the two of you, I won't have any brain cells left!"

Before the conversation could continue, Starfire and Robin returned. Their bodies glistened with sweat, but both looked indescribably happy.

"Somebody had fun."

Starfire's already red cheeks flushed and Robin smiled crookedly, sweeping his hair off of his forehead.

"We figured we needed to rest a little." He replied, and Starfire nodded while sipping innocently at a glass of water she held in her hand. Raven cocked an eyebrow; the clear beverage seemed to be bubbling more so than it should, like a carbonated drink. She shook it off, thinking that Lynn imported mineral water for the big night. Starfire smiled sweetly at Raven.

"Please join us in the dancing, Raven! There are so many forms it is most entertaining! Surely you cannot spend the night in this isolated enclosure of seating arrangements." Raven sighed and shook her head in the negative.

"I don't dance, Star. Never have, never will." The alien looked disappointed, but did not press the matter further. Robin nudged her gently, grinning.

"Up for round two?" She beamed.

"Most definitely!" And they were gone. Lynn sighed exasperatedly and reluctantly rose.

"I probably should get back to work. Things to do, people to fire." Cyborg caught her wrist and stood, spinning her back so she faced him.

"Nah-uh. You're not going anywhere. I'm giving you a well deserved break. It's your party and you can boogie if you want to!" She feigned defeat.

"Very well, if you insist." Cyborg lit up, lacing his hand with hers, but cast a look back to Raven.

"You gonna be ok? We can stay over here if you want." Raven shrugged dismissively and shooed them off.

"Don't worry about me. Go have fun, I'll be fine." The both complied and vanished into the sea of people. Raven sighed. Alone again. Perhaps it was meant to be this way; maybe she was always supposed to be the loner who avoided contact at parties. She should have accepted her role as the reclusive goth, and until tonight she had. But still, she wished she had some companionship, if only for a bit.

Unconsciously her mind drifted back to Beast Boy.

---

_Courtney_

_555-8624_

_Call me!_

That's what the crumpled napkin in his hand read, smeared with cheap lipstick and perfume. He wrinkled his nose as he rolled it in his palm. That was the third number he had gotten that night, and he wasn't even trying! Girls had been flocking to him, asking his about his vegetarian diet and running their painted nails across his chest, commenting on his strong physique. Now, he'd always believed himself to be a ladies man (that was his story and he was sticking to it) but he had never had such a following of girls, suggestive ones at that. Usually he had to resort to using 'The Face' before any of them would even talk to him.

He brushed it off. 'Maybe the pheromones are kicking in.' He half heartedly picked at the tofu Pu Pu Platter that sat before him. As ecstatic as he was to have such a rare tofu delicacy, he had no appetite. His mind had been on Raven since the incident in the car. She looked so innocent, so pure as she laid there. In that instant, he'd felt a shiver of hope run through his spine, making him think maybe, just maybe...

He mentally kicked himself. Of course she didn't feel that way, he was just kidding himself.

'_But...why did she look at me like that? Am I just going crazy?'_

He sighed, pushing the plate away for a waitress to take. He needed to be with her. They didn't even have to talk, he just wanted to be in her presence, just to have her there.

The fast song ended and a familiar guitar rift wafted though the air. The song introduced itself to be much slower than any other that had been played, and he watched boys and girls awkwardly pair off. With a smile, he located Cyborg whispering something softly into Lynn's ear, which elicited a smile and she hugged him tighter to her body. Another scan found Robin with his arms wound affectionately around Starfire's waist, his face buried in her soft crimson hair as she nuzzled her face into the crook of his neck. God, he wanted her so badly, now more than ever.

_**Something in the way she moves  
Attracts me like no other lover,  
Something in the way she woos me.  
I don't want to leave her now,  
You know I believe her and how.**_

'_Please, God, let me find her. Please let her be here, somewhere. Just...let me be with her.'_

There. A piercing pair of amethyst eyes cut across the crowded room, their stunning shimmer taking his breath away. She could see him, she had to be able to. The lavender gems widened at the attention and shyly slinked to the floor to break the contact. Every so often, she glanced up, hoping he no long was looking. He watched her every reaction from all the way across the room. For a moment, he breathed in her radiance. Then before he realized what he was doing, he got up and started walking towards her.

Raven could feel her breath becoming erratic again, those pestering butterflies making another appearance in her stomach. How did he find her? Could he read her thoughts at that moment, did he hear her silent pleas for him? She admired him a moment, making out his eyes every detail even from this distance. She felt...vulnerable, weak in the knees.

'_Look at the table. The feeling will go away, just look away.'_

She did as her mind commanded, but the burning sense of his emerald gaze on her was too strong to ignore. Her eyes traveled back to him, holding their moment as long as they could. Her grip on the seat tightened as she watched him rise, approaching her without daring to break eye contact. She was astonished, he was coming to her. That was why it was such a shock when she realized she was doing the same thing.

_**Somewhere in her smile she knows  
That I don't need no other lover.  
Something in her style that shows me.  
Don't want to leave her now,  
You know I believe her now.**_

Beast Boy pushed lightly against the swaying couples that obscured his path. He had to get to her, no matter what the means. Something inside him leaped when he saw her coming towards him, but he did not dare stop. He needed her.

His eyes were hypnotic, drawing her to him involuntarily. But there was something in the back of her head that kept nagging her that her movement was not against her will. Her shoulder hit a dancing pair and her body tilted to one side, but she held her gaze with the boy. She cautiously weaved in and out of the people, determined. The beat sped up a bit, but it did not distract her in the least. In fact, it made her want to move faster.

_**You're asking me will my love grow,  
I don't know, I don't know.  
You stick around now it may show,  
I don't know, I don't know.**_

They met halfway, directly beneath the sparkling silver disco ball. The lights were magical, spinning rhythmically around the two like fireflies on a sweltering summer's eve. They were the only ones for miles, as far as either of them cared. And boy, did they care.

The music slowed once again, the guitar's mellow charm drifting upward as the lyrics temporarily faded away. They were so close to one another, but they didn't dare move. Subconsciously Raven began to count the golden flecks in the olive pools of Beast Boy's eyes. He smiled, very faintly but very sincerely, out of the corner of his mouth.

"Hi." He whispered, almost inaudibly. But she heard him. She hung on every word he said.

"Hi." She responded bashfully, nearly as soft as him. She mentally cursed, where had her voice gone? His grin widened.

"That seems to be our patented conversation today, huh?" His voice never rose above a murmur, but it rolled off his tongue like thick syrup. She felt her lips tug up in the slightest, but she didn't say another word. His eyebrows creased together as his gaze intensified, and she suddenly worried he would leave. She saw his hand rising up slowly until it was just above her head. Swiftly, he seized the edge of her hood and jerked it down, her lilac hair tumbling out majestically. She let out a small gasp at his bold motion, staring at him questionably. His eyes twinkled apologetically.

"I-I'm sorry. I know you don't like to be touched." She blinked at his knowledge of her. "But...But I couldn't stand to see you hidden anymore, Rae. You know, your scent isn't the only thing that's pretty about you."

Her ivory cheeks flared with heat and for the first time she pulled away from his eyes, sheepishly eyeing her feet. His hand still hovered just above her shoulder, and so he gently set it down and let it slide the full length down her arm before reaching her tiny, delicate hand. His fingers intertwined with hers, and she silently gulped.

"Dance with me."

Another bold effort on his part. God, why couldn't she talk? Say yes! Please say yes!

"I-I don't dance well. And...by well...I mean at all."

She looked up, fearful of facing his sorrowful face again. But instead, his expression remained kind and warm, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

"Then I'll dance well for the both of us." His thumb was rubbing gingerly against her knuckles. Everything in her mind screamed at her to walk away, that she was being stupid and irrational and was going against everything she believed in. But her heart...that was an entirely different story.

_**Something in the way she knows  
And all I have to do is think of her,  
Something in the things she shows me.  
Don't want to leave her now,  
You know I believe and how**_

"...Ok." He seemed shocked by her response.

"Ok?" She smiled prettily and nodded.

"Ok. Dance with me." She watched in amusement as his Adam's apple bobbed up and down nervously, but his smile never changed. He gently pulled her in closer, their breaths spiraling together as one. Her eyes laced with panic at their position, but his warmth against her soothed her.

"Don't worry, Rae, I won't hurt you. I will never hurt you."

_**Taste toxic lips, I'm on the run!**_

As quickly as it had begun, the song vanished into the hot, sticky air of the nightclub as Brittany Spears eagerly took its place. The couples around them broke away to dance on their own. Beast Boy and Raven both seemed to snap immediately out of their daze, and realized the position they were in. Raven gasped as her eyes widened, and Beast Boy looked like a lost little kid. She glared at him angrily, and fiercely tore her hand away from him. Before he could say another word, she stormed off, pushing a few annoyed dancers to the ground in the process. The changeling called after her, but she blended in with the others and was gone. He closed his eyes.

"Damn it." he whispered. He poked his eyes open and watched his hand slowly contort into different positions. Heaving a sigh, he dropped it back to his side and dejectedly wandered away.

---

Raven was angry.

Actually, angry might not be the right word to describe her. There might not be an adequate word in the English language to describe her. With her head bowed, she grunted through hoards of people, delivering a few well timed shoves to innocent bystanders in the process.

"The nerve of him to touch me like...that! What would possibly give him that right?! That little...ugh!" She inadvertently found the bar and slouched into a stool. She noticed a few people giving her stares and she shot them a look that sent them running. She was mad, and was not to be messed with.

She was mad at the world. She was mad at the people. She was mad at George Harrison.

"Of course...I never stopped him."

This thought lingered, and she glanced down at her pale hand affectionately. The warm, tingling sensation his touch gave her still remained, and she had to admit, it made her happy.

Rage quickly set in again, and she balled her hand into a fist and slammed it into the countertop. The red haired bartender jumped, and she finally acknowledged his presence. His pale blue gaze lay on her, fearful but expectant, and she groaned softly.

"I don't suppose you have herbal tea." She asked. The boy nervously bit his lip.

"I have iced tea." A growl rolled off her tongue, and she exasperatedly clutched her nose between her thumb and index finger.

"Fine. Whatever." He smiled slightly and filled a cup with ice.

"Sweetened or non?"

"I don't CARE! Just get me something NOW!" The dangling lights shook with the intensity of her shout and he leapt in fear as he scrambled to keep the frozen cubes in the glass. He ducked down and fumbled beneath the counter as he prepared her drink. Raven breathed curtly, and perked up when she sensed someone's gaze on her. She glanced to the side and found a dark figure, hunched over and hooded with a black sweatshirt, focusing his steely eyes on her. She sent him a glare but he remained unfazed, and flashed her an ugly, toothless smile. Rolling her eyes she cushioned her head in her arms, attempting to block out the sights and sounds of the place. She heard a soft clink against the counter, and she knew her drink was there but decided to remain in her position a moment or so longer. There was another tiny ping sound from her beverage, but she dismissed it as the ice clattering against the glass.

She lifted her head and held the cold drink to her lips. There was a low chuckle beside her, and she caught the hooded boy starring at her eerily again. She eyed him suspiciously and slowly took a swig of the drink, not noticing how much it had been bubbling.

_Holy Crap that was a long chapter! But it's done! YAY! Ok, so a few notes; the 2 songs I used were Hey Mama by the Black Eyed Peas and Dip it Low by Christina Milian, but they're not important so we don't care about them. The full length song was Something by the Beatles. I slipped in a little Beatles joke towards the end, a cookie to anyone who gets it. It's semi-possible I could finish chapter 9 before I head off for a week, but it's a little unlikely. Hopefully this can keep you happy til them....cuz it's really long!! Oo I hope you liked it, and I'll cya when I return to the East Coast! _

_Oh and you can call that number Beast Boy had if you want...a slutty girl will not pick up the phone._


	9. Errbody in da club gettin tipsy

**Haha, LOOK! I have changed deh author's notes to be BOLD! FEAR ME! **

**So, yes, apparently I did not finish the chapter before I went away. But I am back now and ready to move onward! **

**Audi Katia and Goolz both get cookies for getting the Beatles joke. Beeny gets the motherload of cookies because he went far enough to explain it. And Ryan, haven't you given me enough Rolos throughout the course of time?...That answer is no. –takes all the rolos- **

**I suppose I should warn you that this chapter has a lot of implied smut. It's the first time I ever did it, and it is NOT to be taken seriously. Mostly it's for comedy. But you'll see what I mean.**

**Oh and of course, I have to extend a major, big, humongous thank you to you all, because this story has passed 300 reviews! YAAAY! –throws confetti- That's the most reviews I've ever had...EVER! I feel so loved!!! Well, here's the extraordinarily long chapter 9!**

Something was wrong with Raven.

Her head was spinning and her vision blurred all objects in her path to fuzzy blobs. Her balance was beginning to diminish and she stumbled aimlessly though the club, tripping and tottering over her own two feet. Her memory was slipping; she couldn't remember whether she had finished her iced tea or dropped it on a random table at some point. Her palm found the back of a chair and she pushed all of her weight against it, straining to stay up. Her knees gave way and she collapsed into an unsuspecting dancer.

"Hey! Get off me!" He shouted, grabbing her arms and flinging her sideways. She shouted briefly in pain and confusion until her face came in contact with a wall. Letting her fingertips explore the surface momentarily, she slowly turned herself around and slumped against it. Moaning, she let herself slide down until she hit the floor, curling her legs up to her chin and pressing her fingers to her temples. Her mind was pounding, her pulse was racing, and she was freezing and burning up at the same time. Raven flattened her hands on her flaming cheeks, feeling the beads of perspiration trickle between her fingers. Her chest was rising and falling rapidly like something had clamped down on her lungs, and she found herself struggling to get even the smallest breath.

She lifted her plum gaze wearily and witnessed her entire world fall apart. People grew extra appendages and whipped them about as if they were completely normal. Their faces reshaped and remolded into awkward positions so that their mouths were on their foreheads and their ears were on their chins. Colors bled from everything until the world was black and white. But with an explosion of light, the colors reappeared in bursts, spiraling forwards in tornadoes and flashing brilliantly as they intertwined and swirled all about her. They fell to the floor and rose in the forms of humans, majestically swaying their radiant bodies to the beat on the music. There were so many; reds and yellows and blues and pinks and greens and any others you could think of. There were colors she had never seen in her life until that moment. She leaned her head back with wide eyes and watched them in awe.

This wasn't going to end well...

* * *

Starfire cupped either sides of Robin's face gently in her hands as she shifted in his lap. She deepened the kiss they had been engaged in, swiftly sliding her tongue into his mouth. The boy perked up, surprised, but did not pull away and instead tangled his fingers in her fiery red locks. It was only when she tightly seized his thigh that he broke the kiss. He drew back, confused, and pressed his gloved fingers to her lips.

"Star, are you feeling ok? You seem a little more...affectionate than usual."

The most PDA Starfire would allow was holding hands or a faint peck on the cheek, with the occasional arm slung around the waist or shoulders. (Her exuberant hugs didn't count, since she gave them to anyone who breathed.) It was definitely out of character for her to be blatantly making out with him in the booth of a crowded club. Starfire smiled wryly and crushed his lips with her own. He enjoyed it momentarily before the guilt was overwhelming and he pushed her off him.

"Star, as much as I hate to break this up...and I REALLY hate to break this up...you don't seem well. Are you alright?" Starfire locked her arms around Robin's neck and began to draw small circles on his back.

"But of course, Robin. Everything is wondrous."

He blinked.

Whoa.

That was _definitely_ not Starfire. Her voice, though it was her own, lacked the effervescence it normally possessed. Instead, it had changed to a low, husky sound spoken in breathy tones. Robin thought it was very sexy..._'No! Bad thoughts! Something's wrong with her, I gotta fix it!'_

"Starfire, as both your leader and your friend, I find it is in our best interest if MMF!"

She had closed the gap between them again in a passionate kiss, rubbing her hands all over his chest. His eyes popped open in shock and he let out an involuntary squeak.

Wow. Starfire's tongue had learned quite a few new tricks.

She was the first to pull away this time, her bright eyes hooded over sexily. She laughed at his astonished expression and began to toy with a lock of his hair.

"You know, you waste too much time talking with that beautiful mouth of yours." He instantly reddened and she giggled, but it was not the cute, infectious one she had become known for. Robin's mouth hung open as Starfire used her slender, feminine fingers to caress his cheek. They traced his lips, lingering there a moment before continuing downward. They traveled down his neck and fondled his pecs briefly.

"Ooh, Robin, you are so strong." she cooed, and outlined all eight of his hard, well defined abs. Another squeak escaped his quivering lips and she shuddered unwillingly.

"S-Starfire..." he stuttered feebly, and she glanced up. Her eyes darted down quickly, and an amused smile crawled up her face.

"Someone is happy."

He followed her gaze, and he yelped in embarrassment when he found the massive bulge that protruded from his pants.

'_Note to self-Stop wearing FREAKING spandex!'_

An eyebrow lifted and her bright emerald eyes glinted mischievously. Her hand rose and shot down swiftly, aimed at the area between his legs. It was at this point that Robin was able to snatch her hand in his own and yank it away from said area in the nick of time.

"Starfire. You. Need. To. Stop." He spoke in a fierce, commanding tone, but she was unaffected. She slowly pulled the glove off one of his hands and tossed it aside. He was putty in her hands and did whatever she told him. Starfire coaxed down all of his fingers except the index, keeping that as straight as possible. With a seductive smirk, she lowered the finger into her mouth and rolled her tongue around it unmercifully. He felt his whole hand slowly being swallowed up by her quick moving mouth. Robin moaned and sank back into the wall. He didn't have enough blood to work to brains at once!

Eventually, the brain in his head began to function again; he ripped his hand away and replaced the glove, looking appalled. She cocked her head to one side and let her fingers graze the plate above her breast.

"WHAT are you DOING?!" he shouted, trying to get away. This, of course was impossible. She had him literally and metaphorically backed into a corner. Curse her attractiveness!

"What is wrong Robin? Do you not find me desirable? Do you not wish to do the wild dirty acts with me?"

He was scarlet; of course he had enough blood to keep him as red as an Irishman with a few drinks in him.

"STARFIRE?! What's gotten into you?!" He was shrieking, he couldn't help it. He was panicking. Starfire's emeralds sparked with a hidden intensity and thirst, and her lips curled up suggestively.

"I was hoping it would be you."

AHH!!! His face was crimson; there was not a hint of his peachy color.

"STAR-fire!" He shrilled, and she giggled as she reached for her glass. While he struggled to breathe again, he eyed her drink.

'_Wait a minute...Star got water. Since when is water pink?'_

And it clicked.

Oh. My. God.

"Y-You're drugged!" he stammered, partly out of shock and partly out of rage. She twirled a strand of ruby hair around her finger, uninterested. He grabbed her hand and pulled her up to stand. She smirked.

"Ooh, frisky."

"We need help. NOW."

He dragged her out of the booth and pulled her through the dance floor, searching for aid. He grumbled a few select words as several people continued to step in his way. He politely pushed through them, weaving in and out of the dancers as his eyes scanned for a familiar face. A girl with a spray on tan and a top that bore everything but the nipple leapt out of nowhere, shaking her hips dangerously.

"Hey Boy Wonder, ready to see a real good time?" her squeaky voice asked as her short and obviously dyed red hair swung into her eyes. Robin tried to maneuver around her.

"Uh, I'm having a good time on my own, thanks. Now if you'll excuse me..." She grabbed his shoulders.

"Oh, c'mon, Robbie, we could have some reaaaal fun. My cousin owns a motel downtown and we could go and-"

The girl never got to finish her sentence, as she was immediately sent flying across the room, burning with green energy. Robin's eyes widened and he turned to Starfire, where she harbored the remains of a starbolt in the palm of her hand. She glared in the girl's direction, and then turned to Robin fiercely.

"Only _I_ get to touch you." Robin nodded feebly; Star was unpredictable in this state, and he didn't want to do anything to teeter her scale. After a few more seconds of futile searching, Robin spotted Beast Boy nursing a soy shake at the restaurant. With a sigh of relief he swerved through the crowd and managed to make his way to the changeling's side. With a panicked look on his face, he yanked her arm so she remained dutifully at his side. She cooed and began stroking him once again.

"Beast Boy! Help! Starfire just wants to have SEX with me!!" Beast Boy's thick, bushy eyebrow was raised.

"...And you object to this WHY?!"

"No you idiot! She's been DRUGGED!"

Beast Boy spit out his milkshake, mostly through his nose, and stared at him with wide, horrified eyes.

"Oh my God! We've gotta get her out of here!"

"GUYS!"

The voice came from Cyborg across the room as he blundered towards the three clumsily, shaking several tables as his massive feet plowed past. He pushed his way through the crowd, and skidded to a halt when he reached the group. He held a hand to his chest as he panted for air, and looked up with his organic eye wide and fused with fear.

"We have a situation."

* * *

"COKE AND PEPSI ARE THE SAME THING! THE STATE OF IDAHO IS JUST A MYTH! THE LOCH NESS MONSTER AND BIGFOOT ARE WORKING IN CAHOOTS TO OVERTHROW TIPPER GORE AND HER ARMY OF RADIOACTIVE SQUIRELS! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!"

A loud explosion was heard, only to be followed by a shrill, obnoxious laugh before the rants continued. Cyborg politely pushed through the growing crowd that had gathered around the noise with Beast Boy, Robin, and Starfire not too far behind. Several glitter-wearing girls whispered to each other darkly before giggling cruelly and turning their attention back to whoever was causing such a ruckus. Beast Boy could feel the intensity of their stares burning into him, and so he stuck close to the mechanical man in front of him.

"Cyborg, what's going on? Why are all these people collected in this spot when they should be dancing? Is it cuz of that crazy person over there?"

Another rant. Another explosion. Another laugh.

"Yeah, Cy, what's the problem? We should be paying attention to Star-AH-AH-AH-AH!!" He leapt three feet in the air and whirled on the girl behind him, blushing and glaring fiercely. Starfire smiled and held up two fingers innocently; she had been pinching his rear end FAR too many times to be accidental.

"What's your deal Cy? There's always a lunatic at one of these things! We just give 'em a pill and send them back to the happy home. You could have done it yourself! What's the point of getting me and Rob involved?" Cyborg cast back an unreadable glance.

"Uh, that's not _exactly_ the situation."

After what seemed like an eternity they had driven themselves to the front of the crowd, where the raving idiot could be seen. It was a girl, and she was standing on a tabletop with her arms flailing about wildly and passionately as she spoke. She was predominately shrouded in darkness, and so it was hard to make out any of her facial features. The only true noticeable thing about her was that she was wearing a long, billowing cape. Beast Boy's forehead wrinkled at the familiarity of the item, and he squinted to try to make the image clearer. Only when she turned, and he saw the flash of her bright amethyst eyes did he realize what was going on.

"RAVEN?!?!"

"_That's_ the situation."

"WHAT THE HELL?!" The Boy Wonder was shocked out of his senses, and it was evident that he had forced himself to change the last word of his sentence. "Cyborg, what is going on?!" The android shrugged and held up his hands to bare his innocence.

"I have no idea! I found her like this and I didn't know what to do!"

"...And it didn't occur to you to get her OFF the table?!"

"I PANICKED!!!"

The lavender haired beauty's gaze suddenly rested on the four, and after a moment of recognition, a grin wide enough to sail a ship on spread across her face.

"MY FRIENDS!"

She jumped off the table and floated quickly to where they stood. She swept them up into her arms in one quick motion, and embraced them tighter than Starfire had ever dared. "I missed you all! Now we can play monopoly on the MOON!" Cyborg could feel the blood rushing to his head, and heard a few unnatural sounding cracks.

"Uh...Rae?"

"Mmm-Hmm?"

"You know that whole breathing thing?"

"Yeah! It's like my favorite hobby!"

"...We kinda need to do it now."

"OH!" She promptly dropped them, and danced a little in amusement. A boy somewhere in the mass of people screamed as his shirt dissipated.

Robin rubbed his butt-that area had been getting way too much abuse lately!-and moaned. Cyborg had gone to chase after Raven, who was now dancing all about the club and leaving much destruction in her wake. Beast Boy rose and offered a hand to Robin.

"Dude, what is up with Raven? It's like she popped a Prozac or two...or 12!" Robin tightened his hold on Starfire, who in the excitement had moved her-er-affections on a group of very amused boys. Robin scowled jealously and pulled her into him.

"Sweetie, please don't grope the bystanders."

At this point Raven had reappeared in front of them, laughing like a madman and waving her hands out majestically. She watched in delight as her powers lifted various objects about the room. Suddenly, she stopped, and her hands lost their eerie black glow. The previously floating objects crashed to the ground, but Raven didn't seem to notice. She just stared down, astonished, at her own two hands.

"Dude...my hands are HUGE!"

Beast Boy was about to go on a rant about how Raven was obviously replaced by a robot clone that was bent on taking over the world, when the wheels in his head began turning. His pointed finger withered back into his hand and he stole a glance of Starfire. Currently she was whispering into the Boy Wonder's ear, and whatever she was saying was evidently very dirty, because Robin was red. Really _really_ red.

Beast Boy seized Raven's shoulder, snapping her out of her trance. She beamed at him, and he winced as he heard something else in the background break.

"Raven...by any chance, did you have any...beverages recently?" She blinked cutely and poked her tongue out in thought.

"Uhhh...OH! I had an iced tea a little while back! It was good! Who knew tea could be iced? It TOTALLY blew my mind!" Cyborg suddenly cut through the crowd like a knife though butter, panting heavily and scowling.

"Gotcha!" He cried upon sighting Raven, and rushed for her with outstretched arms. The telepath laughed, and raised her arms elegantly.

"Bye-Bye!" she exclaimed, and with a flash of black energy teleported to an unknown location. Cyborg unfortunately realized this too late, and swung his arms shut around the air where Raven once was. He had put too much force into it, and with nothing to grab on to, gravity took over, and he fell flat on his face. Beast Boy sloppily helped him up and dragged Robin into earshot. His arms waggled out beside him insanely as he tried to make his point.

"I get it! I know now! Raven's been drugged too! Just like Star!" The other boys' eyes widened at the realization. "Oooh, I swear when I find out who did that to my Rae I will SO kick his-"

"It's odd, though, that someone would drug two people. Usually they pick one target and stick with it." Robin pondered and he stroked his chin as Starfire continued to toy with his hair.

"Actually, now that you mention it, a lot of the girls tonight have been...off. Have you noticed that nearly half the girls here are whacked out of their minds or horny sex kittens?" Cyborg added. Robin nodded.

"Yeah, actually! Some girl started hitting on me while I was WITH Star!" Beast Boy gasped, and dug deep into his pockets. After a moment of searching, he pulled out a fistful of napkins with scrawled digits on them and held them out for the others to see.

"DUDE! Girls have been hitting on me ALL NIGHT! I got like 6 numbers!" Cyborg stifled a smirk.

"Yeah, the only way you get numbers is if the girls are under an influence." he muttered under his breath. Beast Boy glared at him, but Robin paid no attention, and began pacing back and forth in thought. Starfire's emerald gaze followed him wherever he went.

"But why would someone want to drug ALL the girls? I mean, isn't it a hassle? What's he going to do with all of them anyway?" Cyborg thought for a moment.

"Well, what usually happens when a guy slips something in a girl's drink?" There was a short silence, and then all their eyes went wide with realization.

"He was gonna drug as many as possible-"

"So he could have his way-"

"With as many as he wanted." Beast Boy was taken aback by the shock, but suddenly his eyes flared up in rage. "That BASTARD! I'll KILL him! That BASTARD!" Robin placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"Beast Boy, you have to calm down. I'm just as pissed as you are, but we need to fix this. First we gotta alert all the party goers and clear them out. Then we take care of _him_." The last word dripped of distain and hatred, and Beast Boy didn't doubt Robin's anger anymore. Cyborg held up his right arm, where a neon green digital pad was glowing.

"I already got a hold of the police. They'll be over here in a matter of minutes." Robin nodded.

"Good. Now go up to DJ booth and make an announcement to clear everyone out of here." The android paled and his eyes grew wide.

"WHAT?! Why me?!"

"You're a people person, they'll listen to you! If I go up there I'll be too vague and won't make any progress and Beast Boy will send them all spinning in a frenzy! You have a way with words! Use them!" Robin turned to the green shape shifter on his opposite side. "Beast Boy, you're job is to find Raven. Lord knows what she can get into in her state." Beast Boy nodded, his brow furrowed with his new mission.

"What about you, Rob?"

"I'm going to search for Mister Pill. He's NOT getting out of here easily." Cyborg grumbled and rolled his eyes.

"Oh sure. You get the easy job." Robin sent him a fierce glare.

"There are over 350 people in this room alone, and I need to find one. One that I know absolutely nothing about. You call that easy?!" Cyborg held up his hands.

"Ok! Ok! I'm going, both of you got you're communicators?" They both nodded. "Good. Buzz me if you need backup." His broad shoulders were able to part the crowd like the Red Sea, and he sprinted for the turntable tower on the other end on the club. Beast Boy turned to Robin.

"Don't kill him without me."

"I won't, they'll be something left. Here." He thrust Starfire's arm into Beast Boy's hand, who looked up with a confused expression. "Just-Just watch her too, ok? I-I don't want anything bad happening to her..." His masked eyes were soft and pleading and his brow was knitted in concern. Beast Boy smiled and tightened his hold on the Tamaranian's bicep.

"Don't worry, man. She'll be fine."

Robin offered a slightly relieved smile and vanished into the crowd. Beast Boy looked up at Starfire, who was inspecting her fingernails. The shape shifter raised an eyebrow.

"Hey Star, how come you're not all over me?"

"Because," she replied in a bored tone, "You are far too small. Robin is my big, strong boy, and I only wish to engage in the sexual acts with him." Beast Boy face faulted and fell to the ground.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Cyborg growled at the infinite steps he had to climb to reach the summit of the immense DJ tower. He finally reached it, wheezing for air and muttered under his breath.

"One of these days, stairs, one of these days!" he growled, and shook a fist at them. The stairs of course did nothing. "DON'T YOU MOCK ME!"

The DJ heard the noise and turned around, his eyebrows high in surprise over his dark sunglasses. "Hey! You're not authorized! You can't be up here!" Cyborg whipped out his communicator with the golden T emblazoned on it. On cue, it chimed the ever famous theme song.

"I'm a Titan. I'm authorized everywhere. Now MOVE." The DJ stepped to one side to avoid conflict, hands held up at his sides. Cyborg approached the control board at the head of the tower where dozens of flashing buttons blinked insultingly at him. His eyes scanned everything, and he nervously bit down on his lower lip.

"Uh..." he held out a finger to hit one button, but instead moved to another. And another. And another. Scowling, he growled scornfully. "I'm a mechanical genius and I can't figure out how to turn off a CD." He turned to the sandy-haired DJ behind him. "Yo, specs! I gotta make an announcement, how do ya work this thing?" The boy crossed his arms and blinked. Raising a hand, he reached over Cyborg's shoulder and hit a glowing red button in the center of everything that plainly read 'Off.' Cyborg sweat dropped. "Oh."

Immediately everything shut down. The lights dimmed, the music slowed to a halt, and the swirling colors on the large back screen completely stopped. The crowd below ceased dancing and began murmuring to each other in confusion and protest. The DJ flipped another switch and Cyborg's face was projected onto the enormous screen. He thrust a microphone in the robot's direction as the crowd stared upward expectantly. Cyborg cleared his throat and stared back.

"Everyone! If I could please have your attention!"

"You turned off the music, of _course_ you have our attention!" A voice yelled. Cyborg ignored him.

"Listen, y'all may recognize me as Cyborg from the Teen Titans, and right now I need your help. There is a slight crisis and we need your full cooperation for everything to go smoothly. No if you'll please-"

"What's the crisis?!" the same obnoxious voice called. Cyborg's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not at liberty to give away that information."

"Well, if you don't say nuthin, then I'm not moving." Cyborg growled and clenched his fist.

"_Fine._ Listen, a few of you may have noticed that most of the girls tonight are pretty loopy." There was a buzz of affirmation. "It seems somebody slipped some bad substances into a majority of the girls' drinks. Yeah, you heard right. The girls are drugged." There was a collective gasp, and Cyborg held up a hand. "Now, I know every instinct in you is saying to run around in circles screaming, but please, remain calm! Everything is under control, we simply need you to evacuate the premises. Ambulances are at the ready for any medical care the girls might need. Please leave in an orderly fashion. I promise everything will be sorted out _outside_. Please remain calm. Thank you."

The people began to file out quickly, murmuring in a frightened way to one another. Boys guided their delusional girlfriends out the doors where they were met with an army of ambulances. Cyborg smiled slightly and pulled out his communicator.

"BB, Rob, I got everyone cleared out. How's everything on your front?"

"_I found Raven._" Beast Boy's static voice replied. "_And let me tell you, it was NOT easy!"_

"_Still no luck on getting this guy. He may have slipped out with the crowd."_ Robin piped in.

"_Dude! We can't let him get away!...Ow OW! RAVEN! That is NOT A TOY!!!"_ Cyborg glanced over the edge and spotted Beast Boy sitting in a booth, desperately trying to hold down Raven and Starfire. The android hastily began to descend the stairs.

"I see ya, Bee. I'm on my way. How you doing Robin?"

"_Ugh, I can't find him ANYWHERE! I interrogated the bartender-"_

"You mean you beat the crap out of the bartender."

"_.....regardless, he said some guy in a black hooded sweatshirt stayed at the bar all night but didn't buy anything and disappeared a few minutes ago. Problem is, I can't seem to...wait, wait! I got him! Beast Boy, he's heading for the exit near you! Cut him off and I'll meet you there!"_

"_Cy, you watch the girls! We gotta take care of this!"_

"But-!" He was only met with static. Stowing away the com-link, he glanced up to see Starfire and Raven, arms slung over each other's shoulders and giving a personal rendition of 'Danny Boy.' Off key, might I add.

"Ohhhhhhhhh Danny BoooooOOOOOOoooooooy! The hic pipes the hic pipes are caaaaaaaaaaAAAAAlllllling!!!!" They laughed and swayed back and forth and Cyborg scratched the back of his head.

Oh boy.

* * *

Beast Boy leapt into the air, morphing into a crow mid-jump. He flapped his small green wings and flew towards the exit. He could just barely see a black hood bobbing up and down in the crowd. Narrowing his beady eyes, Beast Boy glided upward and spun back to face the boy. When the kid was almost out, he changed into something much larger. A gorilla. His massive green form blocked the doorway, and the toothless kid skidded to a halt as Beast Boy ferociously beat his chest. When he had scared the wits out of the kid, he changed back, grinning evilly.

"Hi." He said simply, and the hooded kid turned to run, only to be met by the cross expression of Robin.

"Leaving so soon?" The Boy Wonder asked. The hooded boy's steely grey eyes darted between the two and he nervously stumbled backwards as both moved in. "You're under arrest for possession of illegal narcotics. Not to mention giving such narcotics to minors."

"I-I swear. You got the wrong guy. I'm innocent!" He dropped to his knees and held out his hand pleadingly. But when he did so, he jarred his front pocket and a small Ziploc bag of white tablets spilled out all over the floor. He glanced up, frightened, as the Titans' glares intensified.

"Why do I get the feeling that those _aren't_ Skittles?" Robin began to crack his knuckles.

"Pick a body part, Beast Boy." The shape shifter grinned wickedly, baring his pointed fangs.

"Got it."

The boy's grey eyes widened fearfully, before everything went black in a fit of punches.

* * *

Cyborg watched contently as the hooded boy was hauled away in a squad car. Several dozen girls were carried off on stretchers, but no permanent damage had been done. He had to reassure several concerned boyfriends (and chastise the lot of them who asked if the affects would last long enough for them to have some fun.) Blinking, he heard soft breathing behind him, and he turned back to find Lynn, meekly hunching her shoulders with her head bowed.

"...Cyborg...I am so sorry. This is all my fault."

"Hey, hey." he cooed, gently slinking his arms around her waist. "You had nothing to do with this. Don't blame yourself." She shook her head, pulling a few braids loose.

"No, it's _my _club and it's _my_ responsibility who gets in here. I let that guy in. Who knows what could have happened if-"

"But it didn't." He replied tenderly, lifting her chin with his fingers. "It didn't happen. We fixed it. Everything's ok." She kept her gaze down.

"I shouldn't have let you come." She whispered. There was a moment pause.

"Look at me." He softly commanded. Reluctantly her honey eyes met his. "Don't do this to yourself. It was all in the hands of fate. No one here blames you _except_ you. Now what does that say?"

"But-"

"No buts. We don't hold this against you. Don't hold it against yourself." She smiled warmly and tightly embraced him.

"Thanks Cy." Eventually she let go. "I better go straighten everything out with the fuzz. Call me in the morning, ok?" He nodded, and she vanished into the crowd. Cyborg smiled after her, when something suddenly sunk in.

"Oh crap, I lost Raven and Star!"

* * *

Robin and Beast Boy emerged from the club, grinning triumphantly and dusting off their hands.

"That was fun." Beast Boy remarked, but his smile melted away when he caught a glimpse of Cyborg sitting on the curb of the street. Robin saw as well, his mask eyes wide and frightened and they rushed over. Starfire was resting her head on Cyborg's knee and she wore an expression of extreme pain. She was whimpering softly and shaking furiously, and Cyborg was affectionately trying to console her by rubbing her arm.

"Shh, shh. I know, I know Star, but it's gonna be ok. I promise. I know it hurts, but you'll be ok." Robin dropped to a knee, brushing back her auburn bangs.

"What happened?" he whispered, and Cyborg looked up.

"She collapsed. She's had the stuff in her system longer than Raven so _she's _still wired." Beast Boy glanced around.

"Where _is _Raven?" he asked skeptically, and Cyborg shook his head.

"Vanished. I was holding her down but she phased through my arm _and _the pavement. I lost her a minute before Starfire's breakdown. Hey, Hey Starfire. Hey baby, look who's here." His voice was smooth and kind, and slowly her bright eyes flickered open. "That's my girl. C'mon, you can do it. Look who came here to see you." Her blurry vision slowly came into focus and landed on the ebony haired teen before her.

"R-Robin...?" she weakly muttered and he forced a small smile. Nodding he opened his arms and she feebly tried to get up, but faltered under her own weight and crumbled into his arms. She buried her face in his shoulder and wheezed for air, her breaths quivering. Robin shifted her body so that she rested in his lap.

"I'm here, don't worry Star. I'm here."

"DOU-BLE DOOOOOM!" Raven exploded from beneath the street, rocking buildings and sending the Titans tumbling. She laughed hysterically, and several streetlights shattered. Moaning, Beast Boy and Cyborg rose, and Robin aided Starfire into standing. Raven did a few loop-de-loops and swooped down low on a course for her friends.

"LIBERTY TO THE CHEESE! DOWN WITH TYRANNY! UP WITH...NON TYRANNY!"

Robin's cat like reflexes went to work, and his arm shot out as Raven soared by. He just managed to snag the hem of her cloak. She screeched to a halt and her head snapped back, and she made a choking sound before she crashed to the pavement. Her amethyst eyes opened, but only half way.

"You're pretty quick, Woy Bunder." Her words were already beginning to slur. "But can you fend off the downpour of rapid killer monkeys who want to seize all the world domination and hot sauce of Rudy Giuliani's Jacuzzi?"

"...What?"

"WRONG! The answer is FEET! Now all your sweet cuppin cakes will be MINE!"

Raven screamed in delight, causing a mailbox to spit out dozens of letters. She leapt up, only to be engulfed in a bear hug courtesy of Cyborg.

"We _need_ to calm her down." He said in a fierce tone as her strained to keep the wriggling Raven in his arms.

"How the hell do we do that?! Funnel coffee down her throat?!"

"She's drugged, not drunk, Greenie! Coffee wouldn't do anything!" Raven had managed to squirm out of Cyborg's grip, and was now wobbling back and forth down the street. Robin glanced over at her and tightened his hold on Starfire.

"The only thing we can do is wait it out. Eventually she'll work it out of her system, but for now we gotta get her back to the Tower." Starfire cried out in pain and gripped Robin's shirt, dragging it down with her as she sank. His brow knitted and he looked up resembling a small, scared child.

"Guys..." Cyborg waved a hand dismissively.

"Go. We'll tie up the loose ends. You just take care of her." Robin smiled thankfully and hoisted Starfire up, keeping his arm slung around her waist.

"Starfire, sweetie I'm gonna take you home, ok? You'll be all better, ok?" Starfire's glistening face lifted slightly, and a half smile pulled at her lips.

"Mm...I love you, my beautiful little birdie..." She mumbled, before she slipped into a blissful unconsciousness and slumped into Robin's shoulder. Robin withdrew a grapple hook, shot it, and disappeared upward into the dark night sky. Which left Cyborg and Beast Boy to pick up the pieces.

"Now what?" The changeling asked, but immediately following his statement Raven popped out of nowhere and slung an arm over his shoulder. He flushed and she began to violently jab him in the chest, spraying spittle everywhere as she spoke.

"Hey, you. I just....wanna tell you....hey you, listen to me! I wanna say that I...respect you man. And furthermore-"She toppled over. Beast Boy gasped and tried to help her stand, but she ended up flinging both her arms around his neck. "I LOVE YOU, MAAAAAAAN!" He could feel his cheeks burning; this wasn't _exactly_ the way he had hoped Raven would confess her love for him. He suddenly felt her grip on his neck drastically slacken, and he grabbed her waist for support.

"Raven, Raven are you ok?" She began to slide down his front, her head dipped low and her eyes drooped over. Her breathing became erratic and she suddenly started to sweat profusely. "Raven talk to me Raven!" he was nearly shouting in fear to rouse her from this state. Wearily she looked up, a stray strand of lavender hair sliding into her hooded eyes. Faintly, she smiled.

"Hey." she whispered. "You have pretty eyes."

For the first time since their encounter on the dance floor, her voice sounded genuine and sweet. Smiling back, he tucked her hair behind her ear. For a moment, Beast Boy thought that he had found the real Raven.

Her cheeks then bulged, and she leaned to one side and vomited. Beast Boy winced at the display, but let her continue and held her hair out of her face. Her back jerked with the coughs that followed, and she gasped for air. She thought she had concluded and tried to stand, only to sway backwards and fall into Beast Boy's arms. Her eyes slowly closed as she slid into a fitful sleep. Beast Boy watched her tenderly, gripping her hand as tightly as he could. Cyborg approached cautiously.

"Is she...done?" he asked. Slowly Beast Boy nodded.

"Yeah. I think."

"Ok, well we better get her home." He held out his arms for her. "Here."

"NO!" Beast Boy cried and hugged her tighter to his chest. His tone then softened. "I-I mean, I got her." Cyborg nodded and turned away, hiding the smallest smirk.

* * *

The ride home took far too long. Raven was lying across Beast Boy moaning in her sleep as he urged Cyborg to drive faster. After an eternity, they reached the garage, and Cyborg opened the door for his friends. Shakily Beast Boy stood, one arm looped beneath the bend in Raven's knee and the other balanced her back as the hand held her head into his chest. He gently carried her into the elevator and they rode to the appropriate floor, where Robin was pressing a warm towel to Starfire's forehead as they laid together on the couch. Cautiously he reached her door, and sent a worried glance to Cyborg.

"You sure you don't need me, little man?"

"Yeah, it's cool. Thanks Cy...for everything." The friends exchanged a warm smile before Cyborg turned a hall and disappeared down the corridor. Beast Boy stared down the silver door with the name 'Raven' emblazoned on it. After a long moment, he drew a breath, hit the button, and entered.

It was even spookier at night, with the pale moonlight casting long eerie shadows across the floor. Resisting the urge to scream, Beast Boy tenderly set Raven down on her bed, unfastening her cape and pulling up the covers. Careful not to wake her, he tucked her lugs underneath the sheets and drew them up to her chin. Beast Boy gazed down at her affectionately, and let his fingers graze through her violet locks.

'_She's way too good for me.'_

Heaving a sigh, he turned to leave.

"No!"

There was a loud grunt and she clamped her hand down on his arm, her nails practically digging into his skin. Astonished, he turned with his mouth agape to her, where he met her wide, scared dark eyes. Her pupils were so small he could barely see them, and she was panting again. She looked terrified, like a lost little girl, and refused to let go of his arm. Softly, she whispered.

"Stay with me?"

He felt his breath catch in his throat and the heat rise to his cheeks. He bit down on his lip, tempted to leave, but he couldn't stand the look in her eyes. She was calling to him; she needed him now more than anything.

And he could never let her down.

He gave a small smile and nodded slowly.

"Ok." he mouthed, and slid his hand down her forearm so that his hand linked with hers. He leaned back and stretched a leg out, hooking the leg of a chair with his foot, and pulled it towards him. When it was within arms reach, he grabbed it and sat down, stroking her knuckles. Relief washed over her, and she smiled back as her eyes drifted shut, until she was soundly asleep. Beast Boy watched her with a smile, she didn't look fitful anymore. She looked at peace, and content. A smile was still present on her lips, and her breathing became normal again. He yawned, and felt his head steadily drop to the bed until it rested on her leg as he felt himself glide into slumber.

Without realizing what he was doing, he raised her hand to his lips and gently kissed her fingers, before letting it drop back to the bed as he began to softly snore. Their hands remained locked, green intertwined with pale.

**Oh. My. GOD. The LONGNESS. Holy fishpaste! Bah...**

**I have always seen Cyborg as the big brother of the group. Ever since Deception Starfire/Cyborg has become one of my favorite friendships. It rivals even Robin/Raven friendships. So yeah, I had to play that up a little. I haven't been using Cy to his full potential –hugs-**

**I can't think of anything else. I need sleep. You know the drill, please review and make me happy :-)**


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